Changes
by Megs23
Summary: COMPLETE! NS Response to Emily's 'Make Nick an ass' challenge
1. Chapter 1

Author: Megan  
  
Summary: Nick's the ass this time around  
  
Spoilers: Anything up through the season finale of the 3rd season is fair game.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Pairing: Nick/Sara  
  
A/N: This is in response to Emily's "Make Nick an ass" challenge. :-)  
  
Nick and Warrick stood by their lockers in the locker room after a long shift, that was about to become a double.  
  
"Dammit! I got blood all over my shirt!" Nick shouted ripping the shirt over his head in a huff.  
  
"Hey, man, just change, you'll be fine," Warrick suggested pulling his shirt over his head also.  
  
Sara walked into the locker room to see a shirtless Nick and Warrick. She whistled at them. "Wow! Hey, guys, looks like I was just in time for the show!" She walked over to stand closer to the two very fine men in the room.  
  
"Grow up Sara!" Nick snapped.  
  
Warrick glared at him.  
  
"Whoa whoa whoa... Who peed in your corn flakes this morning?" Sara asked Nick trying not to laugh.  
  
"Get out of my way!" Nick yelled pushing past the dumbfounded woman standing before him. He stormed out of the locker room in a huff, letting the door slam shut behind him.  
  
Sara's jaw dropped. "Was it something I said?" She asked Warrick.  
  
"I think he's just tired, Sara. He's been like this since Grissom told us we were gonna have to pull a double. Don't take it too personally." Warrick closed his locker, and headed out the same door Nick had just exited though.  
  
Sara walked down the hall and joined the rest of the team in the break room. They were all working on a triple homicide, and were about to pull a double. No one was looking forward to it, especially Nick.  
  
He sat uncomfortably in his chair, and let out a loud sigh.  
  
Catherine noticed how uncomfortable Nick was, and said, "What's wrong, Nicky? Got a hot date?"  
  
Nick glared over at the older CSI. "Not that it's ANY of your business, but YES, I do have a date... Well, I DID, but now I have to cancel."  
  
Catherine was shocked. She'd never seen Nick get too uptight over having to pull a double. "Sheesh" she breathed.  
  
The four of them sat in silence, waiting for Grissom to join them. Finally the door opened, and in walked their supervisor. "It's about time!" Nick spat.  
  
"Well, it's nice to see you, too, Nicky." Grissom smirked, but before Nick could come back with anything, Grissom handed out folders and other information on their continuing case, and had them all go get to work.  
  
"Nick, Sara, go find Greg, and get the DNA results. Cath, you and Warrick need to go back to the crime scene. Check back with me in an hour, even if you're not finished yet." Grissom said heading out the door.  
  
Sara looked over at Nick, who wasn't even paying attention to what was going on around him. "Hey, you ready?" She asked in a small voice, not wanting him to blow up at her.  
  
"Whatever." He said in a huff, as he got up and headed out the door, leaving three confused co-workers in the break room.  
  
"Good luck, Sara." Catherine said patting her on the back, as she and Warrick headed out of the room, and out to the parking lot.  
  
"Gee, thanks" Sara muttered to herself. She picked up her folder of information on the case, and headed towards Greg's lab.  
  
Sara could hear the raised voices from down the hall, and she knew that Nick had gotten to Greg before her. He was yelling at Greg for not having one of the DNA test's results complete yet. Sara could hear the fear in Greg's voice as he tried to explain to Nick why he was so far behind.  
  
"Look, man, I'm only one guy. I can't do it all by myself as fast as you think I can." Greg said.  
  
Sara walked in just in time to see Nick grab the collar of Greg's shirt, and shove him up against a wall.  
  
"Nick!" Sara shouted. She rushed over to where the two men were standing and pulled Nick off of Greg. "What the hell is your problem?" She shouted.  
  
Nick let go of Greg, and shook Sara's hands off of his arm. "Don't touch me!"  
  
Sara took a step back. "Nick?" She asked quietly, but before she could say anything more, Nick turned and stormed out of the lab.  
  
Sara felt a hand on her shoulder. "Sara?" Greg asked. "Are you all right?"  
  
She turned to face him. "I should be asking you the same thing."  
  
Greg just shook his head. "I don't know what happened." As soon as the words left his lips, he turned and went back to work.  
  
Sara walked out of the lab, and went into another lab to get to work trying to find their latest criminal.  
  
TBC  
  
A/N So...? How was it so far? I'll try to get another chapter as soon as I can. I'm still working on those other challenges, too. Enjoy!  
  
Megan 


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Changes Chapter 2  
  
Author: Megan  
  
Summary: Nick's the ass this time around, but why?  
  
Spoilers: Anything up through the season finale of the 3rd season is fair game.  
  
Rating: PG 13 - Just to be safe.  
  
Pairing: Nick/Sara  
  
A/N: This is in response to Emily's "Make Nick an ass" challenge. :-) I did change the title. I just didn't like "What Happened?" Sorry this took so long for me to write. I just couldn't think of a good reason for Nick's attitude. I hope no one takes offense to this. And I only ask that you read the whole story before passing any judgments on me. Thanks for the awesome reviews!!  
  
PREVIOUSLY  
  
Sara took a step back. "Nick?" She asked quietly, but before she could say anything more, Nick turned and stormed out of the lab.  
  
Sara felt a hand on her shoulder. "Sara?" Greg asked. "Are you all right?"  
  
She turned to face him. "I should be asking you the same thing."  
  
Greg just shook his head. "I don't know what happened." As soon as the words left his lips, he turned and went back to work.  
  
Sara walked out of the lab, and went into another lab to get to work trying to find their latest criminal.  
  
Nick slumped down on his couch, beer in hand. He picked up the letter that had been lying on his coffee table since he received it the day before. He took another sip of Beast. He wasn't sure why he had it. Maybe because it was so cheap. Though, he wished he had some Coors or Bud instead.  
  
He slowly pulled the sheet of notebook paper out of the envelope. His hand began to shake as he read through the letter for the fifth time now. He could feel tears of sadness and anger beginning to stream down his cheeks.  
  
Dear Nick,  
  
He had recognized the handwriting right away the first time he read it. It was that of his latest ex, Monica. The 23 year old, college drop-out.  
  
I decided to go back to school. I guess being with you helped me to realize that I could do so much more if I had an education. Don't ask me how, though. You just had your ways of persuasion. There's no easy way to say this, and I knew I couldn't do it face to face, for fear of your reaction.. But I'm going to have an abortion, Nicky. Please don't try to convince me otherwise. I know it's not right, but I just know I wouldn't be able to give this baby a home. And I know you wouldn't either. I also know that if I were to give birth to this baby I wouldn't be able to give it up. And that's not fair to him, or her. Besides that, this baby is the reason we broke up. I can't be constantly reminded of you, and how you reacted to me being pregnant. I have never seen such disgust, fear, and anger in a man's face before. And then when you left without a word..  
  
It's all in the past now, Nicky. I've made my decision. And it's final.  
  
Sincerely, Monica  
  
Nick couldn't breathe. He felt like he had been punched in the chest. Yes, he had been shocked when Monica first told him she was pregnant, and yes, he had run out on her. But he was just so scared. He hated himself for doing this. Monica wasn't on the pill, but Nick always used a condom. He figured it was his fault. Maybe he bought the wrong brand or something.  
  
It's true that Nick wasn't ready to have a kid. And hell, he didn't even love Monica in any way shape or form. She was just a hobby to him. And yes, that sounded really low, but Monica felt the same way about him. Well, that's what he thought. She was so young. And they met at a bar, got drunk, hooked up, and the sex was good, so he stayed with her. That was it. He had no feelings for her.  
  
Nick let the letter fall from his hands. It landed on the floor between the couch, and table. He leaned his head back, and closed his eyes. "What the hell am I supposed to do? I can't let her kill a baby!" He said out loud.  
  
Just then it hit Nick how much of an ass he had been at work earlier.  
  
He was ready to hit Greg when Sara showed up in the lab. Hell, he would have hit Sara, too. He should have never even gone to work. Not after reading something like that letter.  
  
Sara.  
  
Nick thought about calling her.  
  
Sara had been one of his really good friends every since she came from San Francisco to Las Vegas. He had had a lot of good laughs with her. After Warrick, she was probably the person he trusted the most.  
  
In fact, Monica had reminded him a lot of Sara. They both had the same silky brown hair, and deep brown eyes. They were both about 5'8", which was pretty tall for a female, granted Nick only stood 5'10". They were both more stubborn than anyone he ever knew.  
  
Maybe this is the reason he stayed with Monica. She reminded him of someone he knew he could never have. Sara knew about Nick's "player" lifestyle. And Nick knew that she would never go for someone like that. When Sara found out about Hank, she had dumped him on the spot. And who wouldn't? Nick silently cursed Hank for hurting Sara and using her the way he did. If Hank really knew the person Sara was, he would have never done such a terrible thing to her.  
  
Nick decided that he needed to apologize to Sara in person. He couldn't risk losing her friendship. Not now. Not when he needed his friends the most.  
  
He picked the letter up off the floor, and held it in his hand for a moment. Then he slid it back into the envelope, and placed it in his pocket.  
  
Just as he was getting ready to leave, there was a knock at his door.  
  
"Who could that be?" He asked out loud.  
  
He wandered over to the door, and looked through the peep hole. It was Sara. She looked so pissed off.  
  
Nick opened the door, only to have Sara push her way past him. She wasn't going to leave until she got what she came for. And Nick was perfectly OK with that. He knew he deserved whatever he got from her.  
  
Sara spun around to stare him in the eye. "We need to talk Nick!"  
  
"Look, Sara. I was on my way to see -"  
  
"Who? Your latest cheap thrill? Well, I don't care! I have something to say, and I'm going to say it!" She was close to screaming.  
  
Nick slammed the door shut, and walked over to Sara. He was standing only about a foot from her face. "YOU! I was going to see you!" He shoved a finger in her face to make his point.  
  
Sara almost felt bad for storming in on him like this. But then she remembered how he was acting earlier at work. "Whatever, Nick. I don't know what was up with you at work today, but you need to chill! Ever since I came to Las Vegas, I've never even pictured you acting the way you did. We've always been told to leave our personal lives at home, so they didn't get ion the way of our cases. You've even been working at that lab longer than I have. You should know better!" Sara sighed and walked to the door. "I don't even know why I bothered."  
  
Nick dropped onto his couch. Just as Sara was getting ready to open the door and leave he found his voice, which had temporarily left him. "I'm sorry.. Sara, I'm sorry."  
  
TBC  
  
I'm sure some of you really love me for the way I end my chapters, huh? Sorry! R+R, please! 


	3. Chapter 3

Summary: Nick's the ass this time around, but why?  
  


Disclaimers: The only character in this story that is all mine is Monica. 

Spoilers: Anything up through the season finale of the 3rd season is fair game.  
  


A/N: Thanks to everyone for all the great reviews! You all really know how to make a girl want to write more! J

"I'm sorry."

Those two words repeated over and over in Sara's head. It wasn't the words that hit her so hard, but the sound of Nick's voice. He sounded so defeated. So helpless.

Sara was standing right in front of the door. She was so close to being out of that house, and away from whatever was going on in Nick's head. But she couldn't bring herself to grab the door handle, open the door, and step out of his home. 

She couldn't do it.

Not even five minutes ago, all she could think about was how badly Nick had treated everyone. And now all she could think about was the sound of his voice. The look in his eyes. His defeated body sitting, slumped over, on the couch. 

She slowly put one foot in front of the other and made her way over to where Nick was sitting. "Nick."

He lifted his head, and looked deep into her soul.

Sara took a minute to examine his face. His eyes were now blood shot, and there were red circles around them. 'Did he look this bad when I got here?' She thought. 'I didn't even take the time to notice.' She scolded herself. His cheeks glistened in the light from the tears that had been slowly sliding down towards his chin. 

She knelt down on the hard wooden floor in front of him, not even noticing how uncomfortable she was. "What happened to you?" She asked, her voice barely even a whisper.

"You should just leave, Sara."

"Do you want me to?"

Nick let out a small sigh of frustration. "No."

Sara could feel her legs falling asleep underneath her, so she got up, and sat down on the couch next to Nick, not too close, but close enough so that he could reach her if he needed to. 

Nick took a deep breath, and prepared himself to rehash the events of the past day or so.

"Her name is Monica. I met her a few months ago at a bar. We got drunk. She invited me in. I didn't say 'No'. The relationship was just about the sex, for both of us. I guess it was about a week or two later that she told me she was only 23. She didn't look that young. And she reminded me so much of…." He paused, realizing what he was about to say, and then moved on. "She had just dropped out of college."

Sara kept her gaze on his face. Well, what she could see of his face. He didn't look her in the eye once the whole time he was speaking. 

"She sent me a letter. I read it just before work yesterday." Nick stopped again, pulling the letter from his coat pocket. He held it in his now shaky hand.

Sara reached over, and placed her hand on top of his in a feeble attempt to calm him down. 

"Sara… Just read it…. I can't –"

"OK" 

Sara gently squeezed Nick's hand, and took the envelope from his grasp. She pulled the letter out, and began reading. Nick sat in silence next to her, still looking straight ahead. 

She could feel tears starting to sting her eyes, but she couldn't blink them away. She couldn't bring herself to believe what she was reading. She did want to believe it. On one hand, Nick's 'playboy' lifestyle was just proven to her. As much as she had heard about it, she never did want to believe it. 

And on the other hand, there was this woman who was willing and determined to take a life before it even had the chance to live. 

Sara read the letter one more time, just to confirm what she had read the first time. She could feel a few stray tears sliding down her cheeks, and she quickly wiped them away.

After a few minutes, Nick knew she must have read over the letter a few times. And when she hadn't said anything he got a little worried. 

"I know I'm a horrible person –"

"No, you're –"

"Yes, Sara. I am."

"Nick –"

Nick stood up in front of Sara, and looked her in the eyes for the first time. "This is my fault. Her getting pregnant is my fault. And now her getting an abortion and destroying a life is my fault. I shouldn't have run out on her the way I did. But I was so scared. I felt so horrible. I'm not ready to have a baby. She's right. And we didn't love each other. We were only together because it was fun. And now this baby has to suffer!"

Sara quietly stood up, and with little to no emotion at all said, "Then just go find her. Tell her you'll do whatever it takes. Marry her if you have to. Just don't let her get the abortion."

"Sara, I can't marry her. I don't love her. It wouldn't be right." Nick said turning away from her.

"Look, Nick. If you don't want her to go through with it, then you have to show her that this baby would be raised right. And if in order to do that, she wants to be married, and then do it. It's not like you have another girlfriend or anything. And in the three years I've known you, I've never known you to actually be in love with someone. You weren't even in love with Kristy. You even told me that." Sara's words seemed to drip with bitterness. She didn't even care how she sounded. She had lost a little bit of respect for her friend, and she needed to get out of there.

Nick was taken aback by her words. "Sara –"

"I have to go. I'm sorry. Uh…. I'll see ya at work… I'm sorry…." Sara wiped the remaining tears from her face before Nick could notice she'd been crying, and hurried to the door.

"Sara! Wait!" Nick called after her, but she was already out the door, in her Tahoe, and speeding down the road.

TBC

A/N: Sorry this chapter was kind of short, but it was loaded, so I wanted to post it as it is. I already have more written, but let me know what you think anyway!


	4. Chapter 4

Summary: Nick's the ass this time around, but why?  
  


Disclaimers: The only character in this story that is all mine is Monica. 

Spoilers: Anything up through the season finale of the 3rd season is fair game.  
  


A/N: Thanks to everyone for all the great reviews! You all really know how to make a girl want to write more! J

Sara drove aimlessly through Las Vegas, not even paying attention to where she was going. Why was she so upset? It's not like this was going to affect her life in any way. "Of course it is!" She yelled at herself. "I just told him to go and get married to some chick he doesn't eve love!" 

Sara reached down and turned on the radio to get her mind off Nick.

 I don't want you to give it all up  
  


And leave your own life collecting dust  
  


And I don't want you to feel sorry for me  
  


You never gave us a chance to be  
  


And I don't need you to be by my side  
  


To tell me that everything's alright  
  


I just wanted you to tell me the truth  
  


You know I'd do that for you  
  


So Why are you running away?

'He doesn't need me.' She thought to herself. "What if he does?" Sara decided to go back to her apartment, and call Nick. He was probably wondering why she had run out on him the way she did. She knew she should be there for him and support him in whatever he decided to do. That's what any good friend would do. And right now, she knew Nick needed a friend.

Sara headed for home as the rest of the song played out on the radio.

Why are you running away?  
  


Cause I did enough to show you that I  
  


Was willing to give and sacrifice  
  


And I was the one who was lifting you up  
  


When you thought your life had had enough  
  


And when I get close, you turn away  
  


There's nothing that I can do or say  
  


So now I need you to tell me the truth  
  


You know I'd do that for you  
  


So why are you running away?  
  


Why are you running away?  
  


Is it me, is it you  
  


Nothing that I can do  
  


To make you change your mind  
  


Is it me, is it you  
  


Nothing that I can do  
  


Is it a waste of time?  
  


Is it me, is it you  
  


Nothing that I can do  
  


To make you change your mind  
  


So why are you running away?  
  


Why are you running away?  
  


...What is it I've got to say...  
  


So why are you running away?  
  


...To make you admit you're afraid...  
  


Why are you running away?

Sara pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex. It was getting dark. For once, she was glad she didn't have to work. She loved her job, but sometimes, on rare occasion, she just needed a break.

Sara reached into her pocket for her key, and just as she was getting ready to put it in the lock, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

She spun around, catching her attacker right in the jaw with her fist.

"Ow! Damn!" She heard the male voice yell. 

But she recognized this voice.

"Jesus, Sara!"

It was Nick.

Sara put her hand to her mouth. "Oh, God, Nick! I'm sorry! I thought you were… Here, come inside. Let me help you." 

She quickly unlocked her door, and linked her arm through Nick's to help him inside. 

"Here, come sit in the kitchen. I'll get you some ice."

Sara went to the freezer. "OK, maybe not. Some peas are gonna have to do."

She pulled out the back of frozen pees and sat down in the chair next to Nick. She lifted the bag up to his now bleeding bottom lip.

"Ow!" Nick cringed. "That's really cold."

"Well, it's gonna keep your whole face from swelling up."

"God. Where did you learn how to hit like that?" Nick asked.

Sara lifted the back of peas from his face, to check and make sure the bleeding was under control. "I took self defense classes for a few years."

Nick just nodded as she pressed the peas back on his jaw. He lifted his hand to put it on top of hers. Her skin was so soft to the touch. He caught her eye, but she didn't let him keep it for long.

Sara looked down at her other hand, and finally felt the pain from using it to hit Nick. He does have a nice strong jaw. "Oh man. I need some ice, too, I think." She went to get up, but Nick held onto her hand. "Nick?"

"Here." He took her sore hand in his, and held it. Then he took the frozen peas, and set them on top of her hand, holding them down with his other hand. "Better?"

Sara gulped down the lump that was forming in her throat. "Uh-huh" 

Nick stared into her brown eyes. Sara tried to break away, but she couldn't. She felt his thumb caressing her hand, and she started to feel tingly. But then she realized that it was just because her hand was falling asleep. 

Sara realized she was now staring at Nick. She turned her head away, and blinked a few times. "Uh… Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you here?"

Sara took the makeshift ice pack from him, and stood up. She walked over to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. "You want anything?"

"No" Nick stood up, and walked over to where she was leaning up against the counter. "I wasn't done talking to you earlier. And I –"

"You what? You don't have to explain to me why you're going to do whatever it is you're going to do. You need to save that baby… Your baby. And you need to do whatever it takes. What else is there to say?" Sara asked

Nick moved a little closer to her. She could feel his warm breath on her face. "I need you." He said, barely above a whisper.

Sara dropped the peas she had been holding in her hand, but neither of them moved to pick the bag up.

Nick leaned in just a few more inches. He was so close to her face. Just another inch or so, and they would be touching.

"Nick, you're still bleeding." Sara spat out suddenly, breaking the moment.

She moved past him, and grabbed a damp washcloth. She lifted it to his lips, and gently dabbed at the blood. 

Nick brought his hand up to her forearm. He slowly moved his hand, so it was in top of hers. He pulled her hand away from his face. "Its fine, Sara."

Sara suddenly realized that they were again standing in a very close proximity, and forgot how to speak. She swallowed, and then took a small breath. "You might wanna get it… looked at…. I didn't mean to…. You scared me…."

Nick brought his other hand up, and cupped her cheek. Tracing small circles with his thumb. "Its really fine. Doesn't even hurt."

"That's good, because I wouldn't want to hurt you…" 

Nick cut her off, by placing two fingers on her lips. Then he brought both hands to her face, and pulled her towards him. Their lips met for a soft and brief kiss.

Sara took two quick steps backwards, breaking the kiss. "Nick, we can't… It's not right."

"Sara… I'm sorry… I – I – I'm sorry." Nick rushed past her and headed for the door. "I'm just gonna go."

"Nick. Wait."

Nick stood facing the door, his hand on the knob, ready to go.

Sara came up behind him, and asked in a soft voice, "What are you going to do about Monica… and….the baby?"

"I don't know." Nick turned to face Sara. "Did you… uh… feel anything….when I… uhhh….kissed you…at all?"

"Nick I –"

"Did you?"

"No" She lied. "I didn't."

Nick felt like the knife that was already in his heart had just been twisted a few times, and pushed in a little bit further.

In an emotionless voice, he said, "I will go find Monica. I'll do whatever it takes for her to keep this baby. I'll ask her to marry me if I have to, but I won't let her have the abortion."

Sara quickly swallowed the lump that had been forming in her throat. "Good." 

Nick turned around and opened the door to leave. "I'll see ya at work then."

"Yeah." And with that Nick was gone. 

Sara closed the door, and leaned up against it, letting her tears fall down her cheeks. She was so sick of crying. She slumped down on the floor, and curled up into a tiny ball, her body wracked with sobs.

Nick let himself into his house, and went over to his stereo, and flipped it on. Letting the music fill the room, he sunk down onto the couch, where he and Sara had been sitting just a little over an hour ago. He could sill smell her. He leaned back, and kicked off his shoes, listening to the lyrics that flowed out of the speakers.

A hundred days have made me older  
  


Since the last time that I saw your pretty face  
  


A thousand lies have made me colder  
  


And I don't think I can look at this the same

All the miles that separate  
  


Disappear now when I'm dreamin' of your face  
  


I'm here without you baby  
  


But you're still on my lonely mind  
  
I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time  
  


I'm here without you baby  
  


But you're still with me in my dreams  
  


And tonight, there's only you and me.

The miles just keep rollin'  
  


As the people leave their way to say hello  
  


I've heard this life is overrated  
  


But I hope that it gets better as we go.  
  
I'm here without you baby  
  


But you're still on my lonely mind  
  


I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time  
  
I'm here without you baby  
  


But you're still with me in my dreams  
  


And tonight girl, there's only you and me.   
  
Everything I know, and anywhere I go  
  


It gets hard but it won't take away my love  
  


And when the last one falls, when it's all said and done.  
  


It gets hard but it won't take away my love  
  
I'm here without you baby  
  


But you're still on my lonely mind  
  


I think about you baby and I dream about you all the time  
  
I'm here without you baby  
  


But you're still with me in my dreams  
  


And tonight girl, there's only you and me

Nick felt the salty tears stinging his eyes, begging to run down his face as the words repeated over and over in his head. But he knew what he had to do, and no matter what, he was going to go find Monica.

TBC

A/N The first song was "Running Away" by Hoobastank, and the second was "Here Without You" by 3 Doors Down. Both are really good songs! Go listen to them if you can!


	5. Chapter 5

Summary: Nick's the ass this time around, but why?  
  


Disclaimers: The only character in this story that is all mine is Monica. 

Spoilers: Anything up through the season finale of the 3rd season is fair game.  
  


A/N: Thanks to everyone for all the great reviews! You all really know how to make a girl want to write more! J

Nick walked through the halls of the CSI lab the next day. It had been two days since he had last been there. That was when everything started/ His destination was the break room, where he hoped to find the whole team because he needed to talk to all of them.

He walked into the room and his eyes fell on one person.

Sara.

She was sitting on the couch furthest from the door, her face covered by what Nick guessed was one of her case files. 

Not surprising.

"Nick, man, what happened to you?" Warrick's voice broke his gaze from Sara.

"Huh?"

Warrick laughed "Looks like someone got a good piece of your jaw."

Sara looked up and winced at the sight of her own handy work. Before Nick could catch her staring at him, she brought the file back up to her face.

"Yeah, you could say that." Nick said in response to Warrick's question.

Just then Grissom, Catherine, and Greg walked in discussing their latest case. Greg was explaining something about a blood sample to the two CSIs that Nick didn't really pay attention to. The three of them stop talking when they saw him, though.

"Nick?" Catherine asked in a concerned voice.

Nick put up his hands to silence her. "Look, guys. I just wanted to tell you all that I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. It was really dumb of me to take my frustrations out on all of you, and I should have known better."

Greg sat down on the couch next to Sara while Grissom and Catherine each took a seat at the table with Warrick. 

Nick looked towards Greg and Sara first. "I was really short with all of you, and had a bad attitude, and I guess you can say this is the proof of getting sense knocked into me." He pointed to the purple and brown bruise on his jaw.

Sara still didn't look up at him. 

Warrick stood up. "It's all good. We all have those days."

"Yeah, Nicky, we all understand." Grissom said. "And if you need to take a few days off, just let me know."

"Thanks guys." Nick said.

Greg leaned over to Sara. "Hey, you ok?"

Sara glanced up from her file, to Greg's questioning face. "Yeah Greg. I'm fine, thanks."

Greg reached over, and put his hand on her knee. Giving it a squeeze he said, "Well if you ever need to talk or anything, you know where to find me."

Sara smiled, "Thanks, Greg. I appreciate it."

Nick looked over and noticed the interaction between Sara and Greg. He couldn't help but feel a little bit of jealousy. "Greg." He said, taking a few steps towards them. "I'm sorry about being such an ass to you, man."

Greg looks up at Nick, his hand still on Sara's knee. "Thanks Nick. But I'm fine really. No big deal."

Nick looks from Greg to Sara. "Sar-"

"I know." She says cutting him off.

"I've… uh… got to get back to my… uh… stuff." Greg says noticing the severe drop in temperature.

Sara grabs his hand. "You don't have to go, Greg. There's nothing that needs to be said." She glared at Nick, and squeezed Greg's hand.

Greg looked from Sara to Nick, and then back to Sara again. But before anything could be said Grissom announced that shift had started fifteen minutes ago, and everyone had work that needed to be done.

"Wait guys. I have one more thing to tell you," Nick said, not taking his eyes off Sara. "I'm getting married. And I want you all to be there." He emphasized the word 'all'. 

No one said anything. There was dead silence. Grissom even thought that maybe his hearing was messing up again. But then Sara broke the silence. She stood up from the couch, Greg's hand falling from her leg, and walked towards the door. "Congratulations Nick. I'm happy for you." And with that she disappeared down the hallway. To everyone else in the room, she sounded sincere, but Nick new better and kept his mouth shut.

Warrick was the next to speak up. "Wow, man. Congrats!" He gave his friend a hug. 

"Thanks Warrick."

While everyone was congratulating Nick, and asking him questions about the wedding, Greg slipped out of the room, and headed towards his lab. He passed by one of the layout rooms and saw Sara sitting at the table staring blankly at a few evidence bags. He stepped inside, and pulled up a chair next to her.

"So who's the lucky girl?" Catherine asked Nick desperate to break the silence in the Tahoe on the way to their latest crime scene.

"Monica."

"Do I know her?"

"No."

"You love her?"

Nick shot Catherine a warning glance, and she put her hands up in surrender. "Ok, ok. Forget I asked."

"Wanna talk about it?" Greg asked Sara.

"No."

"You love him don't you?"

"Who?"

"You know who."

Sara pulled her gaze away from the evidence bags, and focused on Greg. "As a friend? Yeah… Anything more? I… I don't really know."

"You never were a good liar, Sara." 


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks to Sara Sidle Stokes, Franny, PassionatePapist, MissyJane, ljae, Angelic Little Devil, pdhtgal, J gard, Emily, nadia, Nat, elise, candaceFABULOUS, bloodredcherry, cRaZyPiXiE, Pam, A Bloom, oOoOo, diamondlilymay, adpi24, spikes_storm, and shadowcat for reviewing this story so far. If you have reviewed and I didn't mention you its probably because ff.net wasn't showing me your review. But thanks anyway! 

Shift was nearing its end, and Sara was more than ready to be at home by herself, where no one could bother her. She headed into the locker room, the last stop before the parking lot. Luckily the room was empty. She quickly gathered her duffle bag, and jacket from her locker. But just as she was shutting her locker, and locking it back up, she heard the door open. She knew who was with her without even turning around to look. 

Cutting through the darkest night are my two headlights  
  


Try to keep it clear, but I'm losing it here  
  


To the twilight  
  


There's a dead end to my left  
  


There's a burning bush to my right  
  


You aren't in sight  
  


You aren't in sight

"So when's the big day?" She asked him.

"Saturday."

"Oh, that soon, huh?"

"Yeah. I figured the sooner the better."

"Good thinking."

"Will you come?"

Do you want me  
  


Like I want you  
  


Or am I standing still  
  


Beneath a darkened sky  
  


Or am I standing still  
  


With the scenery flying by  
  


Or am I standing still  
  


Out of the corner of my eye  
  


Was that you passing me by

"I don't know, Nick." Sara turned to face him. He looked tired, and sad. She wondered if he looked this way because of the case he just finished, or because of something else. 

"Please, Sara?" He still hadn't moved from the door. He looked tired, and sad. She wondered if he looked this way because of the case he just finished, or because of something else. 

"Why?"

"Because you're my best friend. I need you there," he pleaded.

Sara laughed as she put her jacket on, and threw he bag over her shoulder. "You don't need me, Nick."

"Sara…"

"No, Nick. Don't even start. You do not need me." She tried to pass him, but he grabbed her arm, and pulled her in front of him so they were standing face to face.

"Nick! Let go! You're hurting me!" Sara tried to break free, but he was too strong.

"Am I? Because you know what? You're killing me!"

Mothers on the stoop  
  


Boys in souped-up coupes  
  


On this hot summer night  
  


Between fight and fight  
  


Is the blind man's sight   
  


And a choice that's right  
  


I roll the window down  
  


Feel like I'm gonna drown in this strange town  
  


Feel broken down  
  


Feel broken down

"Nick, I-"

"No Sara. I need you no matter what happens. But I guess our friendship meant nothing to you." Nick let go of her arm, and walked over to his locker.

"Meant?"

"Get away from me, Sara!"

"Fine!" Sara walked out of the locker room, slamming the door behind her. 

Do you need me  
  


Like I need you?  
  


Or am I standing still  
  


Beneath a darkened sky  
  


Or am I standing still  
  


With the scenery flying by  
  


Or am I standing still  
  


Out of the corner of my eye  
  


Was that you passing me by  
  
Sweet sorrow – He's gone tomorrow  
  


Sweet sorrow –  He's gone tomorrow

Sara stormed down the hallway. She was so lost in thought that she almost ran Warrick over.

"Whoa Sara. You ok?" He asked placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I will be."

"Come here." Warrick pulled her into a hug, and Sara finally felt her body starting to relax a little. She wrapped her arms around his back, and buried her face in his chest.

Warrick ran a hand through her hair and down her back in an attempt to calm his friend down. He could feel her tears soaking through his shirt.

Sara pulled back, and looked up into Warrick's caring green eyes. "Thanks."

He wiped a tear from her cheek. "Want me to talk to him?"

"What good would that do?" Sara asked wiping the remaining tears from her face.

Warrick winked. "I have my ways."

Sara let out a small giggle. "I don't know…."

Warrick pilled her back into a hug. "It's not over until the fat lady sings, Sara. And I don't see any fat ladies, do you?"

"No, but-"

"Hey. No buts. Now let me go work my magic." He leaned down, kissed her on the forehead, gave her one more smile, and then headed into the locker room. 

"Hey man," Warrick said to Nick as he walked into the locker room. Nick was still sitting on the bench in the middle of the room.

"Hey."

"When's the big day?" Warrick asked.

"Saturday."

"You nervous?"

"Terrified."

"What's her name?"

"Monica."

"Do you love her?"

"No."

Warrick wasn't the least bit surprised by his answer. "Then why are you going to marry her?"

Nick took a deep breath then looked up at his friend. "She's pregnant."

"That doesn't mean you have to marry her, though. Especially if you don't even love her."

Nick stood up, and opened his locker. "She said she'd have an abortion. This is the only thing I can do to make sure that doesn't happen. 

"Why don't you talk to her? I mean, there must be some other way…."

"There isn't" Nick interrupted him. "And I can learn to love her. I'm not getting any younger. And it's not like there's someone else…"

"There isn't?"

"No."

"Then why are you so upset? And what does Sara have to do with all of this?" Warrick asked.

"Sara?"

Warrick nodded.

"Sara has nothing to do with this…" Nick whispered.

"And that's the problem, right?"

"She said that our kiss meant nothing, and that I should just go do whatever it took to change Monica's mind, even marry her." Nick closed his locker.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa… What kiss?" Warrick was intrigued now. 

"Last night… Sara came over to yell at me for the way I had been acting… I told her all about Monica. She left, but I followed her home, and I guess I scared her. She's the one who hit me…"

"Sara? Did that?" Warrick was shocked.

"Yeah, but she was real sorry. She invited me in, and fixed me up, kinda… I kissed her. And it wasn't just one of those 'friendly' kisses either. I think she got mad, and I felt bad… So I left. But before I did, I asked her if she… felt anything. She said no."

"Oh come on! She was lying, and you know it!" Warrick shouted.

"I know that! But there's nothing I can do. She told me to go and do whatever it took to get Monica to change her mind!" Nick pounded his locker with his fist.

"Nick, do you always do what you're told?" Warrick asked calmly.

He got no response.

"Look, man. Saturday is a few more days away. Think about what you're doing." With that, Warrick patted Nick on the back, and left him in the locker room by himself.

TBC

The song used in this chapter is "Standing Still" by Jewel.

I've been told that this chapter wasn't as good as the others and didn't seem to "flow" as well. But let me know what y'all think! 


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I don't know of any churches in Las Vegas, nor do I know the names of the highways. I just made these up. 

Thanks to adpi22, oceanwave, oOoOo, cRaZyPiXiE, MissyJane, Nat, krisnina77, and spikes-storm for reviewing chapter 6. 

The rest of the week was all a blur to Sara. It was already Saturday morning. She had been given Friday night off, and she actually took it. She woke up around 9:00 Saturday morning. The wedding was scheduled for 1:00 pm. She had four hours to decide whether or not she was going to go.

Sara and Nick had barely said two words to each other after their confrontation in the locker room a few days earlier. And luckily, they had not been paired together on any cases. She didn't know what she would have done if they had been. 

She walked into the kitchen, where she made herself a cup of coffee. She missed the friendship she had had with Nick before this whole mess started. She missed the flirting, the looks they gave each other, and just having him around her. She would never deny that she was attracted to him. How could she not be? 

Sara knew she needed to do something to get him back into her life, but what? Even if he was married to another woman, at least she would be able to talk to him without feeling uneasy. 

She walked into her bedroom, and pulled a dress out of the closet. She bought it the day before, just in case she ended up deciding to go to Nick's wedding. It was dark blue, had spaghetti straps, and a handful of rhinestones strewn about the front of the gown. The bottom half was slightly layered, and hung to her ankles. She had to wear shoes with heels just so the dress wouldn't drag on the ground. 

Sara laid the dress down on her bed, and got some clean clothes out of her drawer. She headed to the bathroom, and drew herself a bath. She lit a few candles. She turned on the radio that sat on the back of the toilet, and U2 came out of the speakers.

~*~*~

See the stone set in your eyes  
See the thorn twist in your side  
I wait for you  
Sleight of hand and twist of fate  
On a bed of nails she makes me wait  
And I wait without you  
With or without you  
With or without you

~*~*~

Sara smiled. She had always been a big fan of U2, and this was one of her favorite songs. She pulled off her t-shirt, and stepped out of her pants and underwear. She stuck a toe in the tub full of water to test it. 

Just right.

Sara poured a cap-full of Rose Bubble Bath into the water, swished it around, then lowered herself into the tub.

~*~*~

Through the storm we reach the shore  
You give it all but I want more  
And I'm waiting for you  
With or without you  
With or without you  
I can't live  
With or without you  
And you give yourself away  
And you give yourself away  
And you give  
And you give  
And you give yourself away

~*~*~

Sara felt her body relax. She closed her eyes, and quickly drifted off to sleep.

~*~*~

My hands are tied  
My body bruised, she's got me with  
Nothing to win and  
Nothing left to lose  
And you give yourself away  
And you give yourself away  
And you give  
And you give  
And you give yourself away  
With or without you  
With or without you  
I can't live  
With or without you  
With or without you  
With or without you  
I can't live  
With or without you  
With or without you

~*~*~

The shrill sound of her cell phone ringing brought Sara back from the pleasant world of unconsciousness. 

Sara quickly hopped out of the tub, wrapped a towel around her dripping wet body, and ran to her bedroom, where her cell phone was still ringing.

"Hello?" She answered breathlessly.

"Sara, its Grissom. I need you at the lab right now."

"What? Why?" Sara looked at the clock. It was already 10:30. She had two and a half hours before Nick's wedding.

"It'll only take thirty minutes, I promise. I just need you to finish filling out one of your files so I can send it to the D.A's office. I just noticed it now. Sorry."

Sara sighed. "Alright. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

She threw her phone down on the bed, cursing herself for even answering it in the first place. 

Nearly forty-five minutes later, Sara arrived at the lab, and ran to Grissom's office. "Hey, what took you so long?"

"My stupid Tahoe got a flat tire. I was only about two miles away, so I ran the rest of the way here." Sara slumped down in the chair across from his desk, and wiped the sweat off her forehead.

"Ok, I just need you to sign these." Grissom pushed a file across his desk towards Sara.

"That's it! All you needed me to do was sign some papers?" 

"Well, if you would've done it when you first filled out the file, I wouldn't have had to call you." Grissom remained calm.

"Dammit!" Sara reached for a pen, scrawled her name on the few lines that required it, and then rushed out of his office, and down the hall again. She pulled her cell phone out, and called a cab. She had already called a tow truck for her Tahoe since she didn't have a spare tire, and they said they'd have it ready in less than an hour. It had now been thirty minutes.

When the cab finally arrived, she told the driver to take her to the car shop where her Tahoe was waiting for her.

Sara finally pulled into her apartment complex just after 12:00. She had an hour, to take a shower, get ready, and get to the church. St. Andrews, where she had only been once before, was nearly twenty minutes from her apartment so she needed to hurry.

Sara quickly showered, washed her hair, got dressed and put on her make-up: silver eye liner, pink roll on blush that had a bit of a shimmer to it, black mascara, and pink lip stick with a clear gloss over it. She left her hair curled, and hanging at her shoulders. At 12:45 she was ready to go. She grabbed her shoes, a simple pair of silver heels, slipped them on, then headed for the door, purse, keys, and cell phone in hand. 

As soon as Sara got on the highway she regretted it. For as far as she could see cars were lined up bumper to bumper, barely inching forward. She flipped on the radio in her Tahoe to see what the traffic report said. 

"Well, folks if you've got some place to go, I would suggest taking State Route 15. There was a four-car pile up just about a mile past the exit to St. Andrews Church. I hope nobody out there is in a hurry, because-" Sara turned the radio off, not wanting to hear the rest of the bubbly voice telling her she'd be stuck in traffic for a good long while.

"Dammit!" She cursed beating the steering wheel with her fists.

Nick walked out of the room designated for the groom, dressed in his black tuxedo. He walked into the body of the church, and looked up at the altar. He noticed most of Monica's family and friends were already gathered in the pews on the left side of the church. Nick's parents were sitting on the right side. He had invited all of his sisters, and brother, but they couldn't make it. For that he was grateful. He didn't even want his parents to be there, but they insisted. 

Nick walked up the aisle, noticing all of the bouquets of white roses that were scattered all over. He hated roses. He much preferred Lilies of the Valley or Carnations, but he let Monica do whatever she wanted with the wedding. He began wondering how he was even going to be able to go through with it. 

Warrick was already up at the altar waiting for him when he got there. "Took ya long enough."

"Yeah. Sorry." Nick looked out over the congregation. He noticed Grissom, Catherine, Lindsey, Greg, Brass, Dr. Robbins, David, Archie, and a couple other lab techs from the night shift sitting behind his parents. 

"She's not here, Nick."

"Not like I expected her… I just-"

"Hoped?" Warrick finished.

"Yeah."

Before either man could say another word the organist began playing "The Wedding March", and Bianca, Monica's maid of honor began her walk down the aisle.

TBC

The song I used here was "Without or Without You" by U2

Sorry this was kinda short. I just wanted to get it out of the way before the next chapter which will probably be significantly longer.


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks to Nepeace, oOoOo, countryfreak, adpi22, oceanwave, PeTiTeCaT, MissyJane, krisnina77, and diamondlilymay for reviewing Chapter 7. Oh, and if I don't mention you, and you did review, it's only because it hasn't shown up on ff.net at the time I'm writing this. But thanks to you all as well!

Sorry about all the suspense, angst, and whatnot. I hope my ending doesn't let y'all down. I still don't even know how or when to end it… Ugh! I should really plan these things out before I write them, huh?

On with the story!

~~$~@~$~~

Sara looked down at her watch as she pulled into the parking lot behind St. Andrews church. It was already 1:30. She was only a half hour late. No biggie, right? She secretly hoped that Monica got nervous or something and they had to start later. 

She quietly stepped inside the building. She had entered through the back, so she would have to walk all the way down the long hallway on the side, and around to the front of the building. She saw a few people she didn't recognize. "Excuse me?" She said politely to an elderly couple,

"Yes dear?" The man answered.

"Is there a wedding going on right now?"

"No, there isn't."

"There isn't?" Sara asked shocked. "Maybe I got the address wrong then."

"There was a wedding here. It ended just a couple of minutes ago." The woman spoke up.

"Oh. Uh thanks." Sara quickly walked to the main entrance of the main area of the church. It was completely empty except for a few altar boys who seemed to be getting ready for the next mass. 

Sara walked slowly up the aisle, and took a seat in one of the pews in the middle of the church. She leaned back and let out the breath she had been holding since she got there. "I was too late. Damn traffic."

"I can't believe he just called off the wedding like that," a female voice said. 

"Why are you complaining? It's not like you loved him anyways. He was only doing it for the baby." Sara turned around and saw a woman in a simple white gown sitting in the very last pew with another woman who had on a pale pink dress. 'How did I not notice them before?' she asked herself.

"I know. And at least he'll take the baby as soon as I give birth so I won't have to deal with it," the woman in the white dress, who she assumed was Monica said.

"You just hate the fact that you were left up at the altar, Mon." 

Yep it was Monica. Sara turned back around to face the altar so they wouldn't notice her eaves dropping. 

"I can't believe he's paying me for this kid. I never took Nick for the fatherly type."

That was enough for Sara. She stood up and turned around to leave the church and go find Nick. 

But she turned too quickly without looking and ran right into another body. A strong body at that. She felt arms go around her waist to prevent her from falling over. She instinctively grabbed onto the other person to steady herself.

"Going somewhere?" 

Sara looked up into the prettiest, deepest brown eyes she had ever seen. "Nick," she breathed.

"Hey," he said softly.

"Hi." Sara blushed slightly and pulled away from him, but Nick didn't let go of her.

"I didn't think you'd come."

"Uh Nick, you're still holding onto me…"

"Sorry. I guess it just felt so natural." Sara blushed at his comment, and Nick let go of her. "You look amazing, by the way."

"So do you," she said looking him over from head to toe. He was wearing a plain black tuxedo.

They stood in silence just looking at each other for a few minutes. 

Then Sara broke the silence. "I should go. I don't know what to say to you. I heard Monica. Nick, why?" 

Nick silenced her by placing two fingers to her lips. "Sara –"

He was cut off when Monica and Bianca walked up them. "Nick, I hope you're sure about this," Monica said.

Nick turned around. "Monica, I'm sure. I'll have a lawyer draw up a legal document if I have to, but I will not let you get rid of my baby."

"Fine. Oh and here's your ring back." Monica took the simple engagement ring off her finger and handed it to Nick. 

Nick took the ring and watched as Monica and Bianca left the church. He turned around and found Sara to be gone. He was now standing alone in the middle of the aisle, holding the engagement ring. "Sara?" He called out. That's when he spotted her heading out one of the side doors quickly. "Sara!" He called louder. She kept going.

Tonight I'm tangled in my  
Blanket of clouds  
Dreaming aloud  
Things just won't do without you  
Matter of fact  
I'm on your back  
  
If you walk out on me  
I'm walking after you

Sara rushed outside to the parking lot where her Tahoe was parked. She knew she needed to get out there fast before Nick could catch up to her. She was sure he was chasing after her. She swore she heard him call her name, but the only thing she could hear was the pounding of her heart sounding in her ears. 

Nick ran outside and spotted her walking quickly toward her Tahoe. He was glad she was wearing heels and couldn't move too much faster, for he knew Sara ran a lot and could possible beat him if she needed to. And right now was probably a time she knew she needed to beat him. 

If you'd accept surrender  
I'll give up some more  
Weren't you adored?  
I cannot be without you  
Matter of fact  
I'm on your back  
  
If you walk out on me  
I'm walking after you

Sara cursed her heals, as she finally neared her Tahoe. She reached into her purse, pulled out her keys, and slipped the right one into the lock. Before she could open the door, however, she felt a strong hand on her arm, pulling her hand away from the door handle. Then she felt another arm on her shoulder, turning her around, her back facing the one and only thing that could get her away from the one and only person she couldn't face right now.

Nick held onto her tightly, making sure she couldn't shake out of his grip. She refused to meet his gaze, but that didn't matter. "Sara? Why are you running away from me?"

"Because…"

"Because why?" 

Another heart is cracked  
In two  
I'm on your back

She stared down at the ground, and let out a long sigh. "Because I can't let you mess up your life or the life of your baby for me…. And I'm just not sure… I'm confused… I don't know"

Nick loosened his grip, but didn't let go of her completely. "Sara, marrying Monica would have been the biggest mistake of my life."

"Your baby deserves two parents. A family. Marrying Monica would have given you that."

"But I don't love her. What kind of kid wants to be with two parents who don't love each other. I love you. Not her. And raising a baby in a family like that just wouldn't be right," Nick said as he stepped closer to Sara.

She could feel his breath on her face now and it sent shivers up and down her spine. "At least he or she would be with both of his or her parents. What if the kid grows up to despise you for not being with its mother? I can't stand in the way of that. You'd end up resenting me, and I'd hate myself, and it would just get ugly."

"Sara, look at me." When she didn't comply he cupped her face with his hands, and brought her to face him. "I love you. I want a life with you. I want a family and kids with you. I don't care what it takes. I guess this whole situation has shown me how much I need you. Yes, my child may be upset with me, with Monica, maybe even with you, but that will not stop me from loving you, and feeling the way I do. And I'm sure this baby will grow to love you as his or her own mother. You'll see." 

Sara just looked into his eyes. She knew he was telling the truth, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him that she knew. 

When Sara didn't say anything, Nick spoke up again. "Please say something. Sara, please? Don't walk away from me, please. I need you."

Sara swallowed the lump in her throat. "I have to go Nick. I need to go." She stepped away from him, and opened the driver's side door of her Tahoe. 

Nick just watched as she got in the SUV and started the car. She didn't even look at him once before pulling out of the parking lot and driving away from the church. Nick knew there was nothing he could do just then. He'd wait. As soon as her Tahoe was out of sight, he headed back into the church to find Warrick who had driven him there before the wedding started.

Sara only got a few blocks away from the church before she had to pull off to the side of the road. She was being blinded by tears and knew if she didn't pull over soon, she could get into an accident. She turned off the engine, and leaned forward on the steering wheel, one arm on top of the other. She leaned her forehead on top of her arms as the sobs shook her whole body. 

~~$~@~$~~

TBC

Okay, so Nick didn't marry Monica. One hurdle down, one more to go. Will Sara go back to Nick? Or will she be the one to take drastic measures? Haha! You'll just have to wait and find out! 

Sorry this chapter wasn't as long as I had said it would be, but I just thought it was a good place to stop for now.

The song in this chapter was "Walking After You" by the Foo Fighters. I found it on the "X-Files – the Movie" soundtrack, which was actually very good.

Please review, and let me know what you think, but leave the flames at home! Thanks!


	9. Chapter 9

Time for some "thank you's"!! :)

Nepeace: Don't worry… it'll come down eventually!

Brianna: Yep! I loved the song for Mulder and Scully, too! I really miss that show… Well, the earlier seasons… I didn't like the last few much. Oh well! LoL

MissyJane: Thanks for keeping me company while I write! And thanks for the continued support! Tub Love Rules! 

oceanwave1: *tap, tap, tap* Hehe! I cracked up when I read your review. "Oh thank God!" Hehe!

EmmyMik: Again, thanks for the help with Getting to Know You! 

pdhtgal: Yes, very emotional… That's what I was shootin' for! LoL 

PeTiTeCaT: Sara's a very stubborn chick, but don't worry… She'll see the *light* soon! :-)

PassionatePapist: I absolutely LOVE your review! Very funny! Thanks so much!

oOoOo: So, sorry I took a few days… I'm slow… :( Hehe!

Countryfreak: Nope, he didn't get married… Not yet anyways… ;-)

Okay… On with the chapter!!

~~$~@~$~~

Sara finally pulled herself together twenty minutes later, and was able to drive herself home, albeit slowly. She pulled into the parking lot, and shut off the engine. She sat in silence for a minute before getting out of the car, and heading up to her empty apartment.  Letting herself inside, she threw her keys and purse down on the small table that sat beside the door. She stood for another moment replaying the day's events over and over in her head….

_"I love you. I want a life with you……I don't care what it takes……I need you_…..Don't walk away from me, please. I need you."

Sara closed her eyes, and leaned back up against the door.

_She sits at the window  
All dressed in white  
Been a long time since she's cried  
Tears called ....tumbling down  
She remembers her childhood brown  
She's afraid it's too late  
  
She steps out on the porch  
Takes a minute from her day  
Just like when she was a child  
To listen what the wind would say  
She was carefree like the children are today  
Say, ?? loves you, won't you come out and play  
She's afraid it's too late_

Sara's mind was filled with images of Nick… How sad his face was… The look in his eyes… The sheer desperation…. Then she pictured Nick with Monica, and the baby…. She pictured them hugging. Kissing. She opened her eyes and rubbed them with her hands, trying to get the images out of her head. She dragged herself over to the couch and slumped down, letting her head rest against the back, hoping to get all the images of Nick, Monica, and their future child out of her head.

_When she was a child  
She had crowns hiding gold  
With such awe, each flower she did hold  
And she...the grass beneath her feet  
How she hated things that were already late  
  
They took away her laughter  
They took away her crown  
They said "hey girl, you gotta keep your feet on the ground"  
She said "oh, but they are"  
They say "Well laughter won't pay your bills"  
A flower fell from her hand, falling still  
They taught her to be respectable  
Responsible somehow  
They taught her to be in every....  
She forgot how it felt to have leaves of grass beneath her feet  
Now every thought screams to return to her childhood royalty  
She's afraid it's too late_

Sara could feel the tears sliding down her cheeks again. She didn't think it was possible for one person to cry so much, but now she knew. She didn't bother wiping them away. She didn't bother with the mascara that was now staining her cheeks either. She didn't care. She missed Nick so much it hurt. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to cry. She needed him to hold her and tell her it would all be okay, but she knew she couldn't let that happen. She wasn't what he needed, no matter what he said. She made herself believe that she wasn't good enough. He needed Monica. And that's all that mattered now.

_She takes one last moment  
Before going inside  
She takes a coat  
To dry her eye  
She ... and it all becomes clear  
It's probably laughter that gets you what you need  
....More than here  
She's afraid it's too late_

Sara looked over at her clock. It was now 4:30pm. She had to be to work in four and a half hours. She didn't think she'd be able to sleep, but with how emotionally exhausted she was, she knew she better try. So she went into her bedroom, and quickly changed from her dress into a pair of sweatpants, and a tank top. She wiped the mascara off her face, and climbed into bed, soon drifting off to a not so peaceful sleep.

~~$~@~$~~

Four hours and just as many cups of coffee later, Sara was all ready to begin her next shift. She was sitting alone in the break room. Nick had the night off for a honeymoon, which was now not happening, so she hoped he wouldn't show up at work. She didn't think she could handle seeing the hurt in his eyes anymore. She looked down at her watch: thirty minutes until 9:00pm. Thirty minutes to make sure she wouldn't break down at the mention of Nick's name, or the wedding that everyone attended earlier in the day. 

Sara was brought out of her thoughts when Warrick came into the room, and sat down across the table from her. "Hey, Sara."

She offered up a small smile.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

She shrugged her shoulders.

"Are you going to talk at all?"

Sara gave him another small smile and shook her head.

"Why not?"

Sara opened her mouth, but she didn't recognize the tiny voice that came out. "Because every time I try to talk…" She felt the lump beginning to form in her throat, and a few tears escaped her eyes, and cascaded down her cheeks.

_Don't be so hard on yourself.  
Those tears are for someone else.  
I hear your voice on the phone.  
I hear you feel so alone.  
My baby.  
  
_

_Ohh my baby.  
  
_

_Please my baby,  
  
_

_My baby,_

Warrick reached up and wiped the tears away from her cheeks. "Why don't you just talk to him?" 

She closed her eyes, and shook her head again. 

"Look, Sara, I don't want to push you, but isn't this what you wanted?"

Now she opened her eyes, and looked at him. "I want him to be happy, yeah, but-"

"But nothing, Sara. Being with you would make him happy. Why can't you see that?"

This just caused her to cry a little more. Warrick reached over and wrapped his arms around her. Sara buried her face in his chest.

_When we were young,  
And truth was paramount.  
We were older then,  
And we lived a life without any doubt.  
Those memories,  
They seem so long ago._

"I do love him. More than anything. But I can't let him…." Sara trailed off when she saw Nick standing in the hallway, staring at her with sadness in his eyes. The same sadness she never wanted to see. She closed her eyes.

Warrick turned his head and noticed Nick, also. "Sara…"

She pulled away and leaned back in her chair, wiping her eyes. Warrick stood up, and bent down to kiss her forehead. "Thanks" she mumbled as she left the room, allowing Nick to enter.

_What's become of them? When you feel like me I want you to know.  
...They've all gone for sure...   
  
Don't cry.  
Not alone.  
Don't cry,  
Tonight, my baby.  
Don't cry,  
You'll always be loved.  
Don't cry,  
Tonight.  
My baby._

Nick took the seat that Warrick had occupied just a few short minutes ago. He didn't say anything for a while, just stared at the woman before him. The same woman who had waltzed into his place of work three years prior, and slowly begun to steal his heart right from under his nose. She had always been so strong. Even when a case got to her, she never let it show for long, and even when it did, not many people even noticed. 

He noticed. 

Just like he noticed now. Noticed her walls crumbling around her. Noticed the pain and confusion in her eyes.

He noticed how much he needed her.

_Today I dreamed,  
Of friends I had before.  
And I wonder why.  
The ones who care don't call anymore.  
My feelings hurt.  
But you know I overcome the pain.  
And I'm stronger now,  
There can't be a fire unless there's a flame.  
  
Don't cry.  
Your not alone.  
Don't cry,  
Tonight, my baby.  
Don't cry.  
You'll always be loved.  
Don't cry oh...  
Limousines and sycophants,  
Don't leave me now,  
'Cause I'm afraid what you've done to me.  
Is now the wolf.  
In my bed,   
  
In my head.  
In my head.  
In my head._

Sara raised her head to look at him, and took in a shaky breath. She rested her hands on her knees, and stared into his brown eyes. She had always been able to tell what he was thinking just by looking into those eyes. 

But not now.

She was confused, and she knew that he knew it, too. 

She knew that they were going to go through something major. A baby is a big deal. Especially when it's not even hers. 

But she would try her best to learn to love it as her own.

He knew that.

_The challenges, we took were hard enough.  
They get harder now.  
Even when we think that we've had enough.  
Don't feel alone,  
'Cause it's I you understand.  
I'm your sedative,  
Take a piece of me whenever you can.  
  
Don't cry.... you're not alone.  
...don't be so hard on yourself...  
  
Don't cry.... tonight my baby  
...These tears are for.....someone else...  
  
Don't cry.... you'll always be loved  
...I hear your voice on the phone..._

"Sara-"

"Nick-"

"Okay! Time to go! Sara, you got a 419 with Warrick. He's outside waiting for you," Grissom said not even bothering to notice his two CSI's. Not even bothering to notice the expressions on their faces, or their tear stained cheeks. 

He didn't care.

There was work to be done.

"Nick, go home. We'll call you if we need you." And with that he was gone.

Sara stood and walked to the door.

"Sara?"

"I have to work, Nick."

_Don't cry.... tonight sweet baby  
...I hear you fear... so alone.  
  
Don't cry... don't cry... don't cry... don't you cry...  
..my baby  
Cry... Don't cry...  
'Cause you still be loved  
Don't cry  
Don't cry tonight  
Ohh.._

~~$~@~$~~

TBC

Hehe! You thought they were going to get together didn't you? Ha! Like I'd make it that easy! Oh, I know, they've been through a lot already. Don't worry there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Sorry to you Grissom fans for making him seem like an ass, but you know how he is about work….

The first song was "Afraid It's Too Late" by Jewel, and the second song was "Don't Cry" by Seal. 

Please don't hate me for all the drama/angst of this chapter. Stick with it! I promise it should be good!! (I hope)

Well, you know what to do now. Hit that purple button and let me know what you think!! 


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks so much to oceanwave1, PeTiTeCaT, MissyJane, Nepeace, adpi24, candaceFABULOUS, oOoOo, jd burns, spikes-storm, and pdhtgal for your reviews! You all rock!! 

Oh and I just wanted to remind all of you that I own nothing. 

Also, there's a spoiler for Last Laugh in this chapter. I finally got to watch that episode! Well, about half of it… But I got to see the Bathroom Scenes! YAY!

**~~$~@~$~~**

"Sara…. Sara?" Warrick looked over at his partner and friend who was staring blankly out of the Tahoe's passenger side window. She didn't respond. "Sara!" He gently shook her shoulder.

She turned her head and slowly to reveal fresh tears. "Sorry" she whispered.

"Sara, you shouldn't be working today. Not when you're like this."

"I have to."

"Well, we're here. Husband found his wife in the bath tub…."

Sara got out of the car, and stood, staring up at the house. "Are you serious?" She asked Warrick who was now standing beside her.

"Uh… Yeah. Why?"

"Nick and I had a case… Same thing… Back in April I think…." She trailed off.

"Sara…" before he could say anything, Sara was already walking up to the front door of the house.

"Hey Sara," Brass greeted her, and then nodded to Warrick as he neared them.

"So, what's up?" Sara asked.

"It feels like Déjà vu… 40 year old woman, Judy Roberts found dead in the bath tub by her 44 year old husband, John Roberts. No towel bar this time." Brass informed them as they entered the house.

They went into the bathroom where David was examining the body. "Hey David" Warrick greeted.

"Hey guys. Hi Sara."

"Hi" Sara bent down to take a closer look at Judy Roberts' lifeless body. 

"I'm almost positive this was drowning. No contusions anywhere that I've seen. I'll have to take a better look once I get her back to the lab." David informed them.

"All right, go ahead and take her. Page one of us as soon as you're finished with the autopsy." Warrick said. 

About fifteen minutes later, David had left with the body of Judy Roberts, and Brass was getting ready to leave as well. "Do you guys need me to stick around? I was going to take the husband down to the station to question him. I don't wanna make any mistakes again."

"No, go ahead Brass." Warrick said. 

Sara was looking around the bathroom to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary, but her mind was definitely somewhere else.

After another hour, Sara was still looking around the bathroom while Warrick had looked around the rest of the house. 

Warrick walked into the bathroom, and put his hand on Sara's shoulder. She was staring at the bath tub. "Hey, you ready?"

She didn't answer.

"Sara?"

"I think that's when I realized for the first time that there might be something…." She whispered.

"What?" Warrick asked, confused.

"That case with Shelly Stark…. He really wanted to do it, so I wouldn't get hurt or anything. And I would have, if I didn't have a helmet and elbow guards on…. He even checked to make sure my helmet was on tight… I felt his fingers brush against my chin…." As she said this, she lightly touched her chin, and rubbed her fingers over it a little.

"Sara, you need to talk to him" Warrick said firmly.

"I know."

They stood in silence for a few more minutes until Warrick reached for Sara's hand. "Come on, Sara."

"Yeah." Sara whispered.

They gathered their kits and headed back to the lab.

**~~$~@~$~~**

"Hey Nick! What are you doing here, man?" Greg was walking past the break room when he spotted his friend sitting at the table by himself, staring off into space. So he decided to go in and talk to him.

Nick didn't respond.

Greg sat down across the table from him. "Nick?" He shook his hand in front of his face.

Nick blinked twice before responding. "Yeah?"

Greg laughed. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to Sara."

Greg wasn't shocked. After his slight conversation with Sara the week before, he was just waiting for them to admit their feelings for each other. Sure he was upset that Sara was probably going to be taken off the market, but at least it would hopefully be by his good friend. 

"She left on a case…. Two hours ago." Greg said.

"I know."

"Why are you still here then?"

"Waiting."

"She's the reason you called off the wedding, isn't she?" Greg asked.

"Yeah"

"Does Monica know that?"

"She doesn't care. As long as she doesn't have to take care of the baby."

"The baby? What are you talking about?" 

It was then that Nick realized that the only people who know the real reason he was marrying Monica were Sara and Warrick. 

"Nick?"

"Monica is pregnant. She was going to have an abortion. So I said I'd marry her. That's why I was so…. Well… pissy." 

That's when everything clicked for Greg. "Oh. I get it."

"Yeah"

"And Sara knows about the baby?"

"Yeah. So does Warrick. Sorry I didn't tell you…"

"Hey, don't worry about it. I wouldn't have told me either," Greg said with a laugh.

Nick offered up a weak smile.

"So what happened?"

"The night before I told you guys about my engagement, Sara came over to my house to see what my attitude was for. That's when I told her. She left… But I followed her home." Nick paused to make sure Greg was following him. Then continued. "She was the one who punched me. I guess I scared her and she thought I was going to attack her or something."

"Wow. The girl can hit, too? Amazing." Greg laughed a little, but then nodded for Nick to continue.

"She invited me in. I kissed her, and then she got scared I think. She told me to leave, and then said that I should marry Monica. She said the kiss meant nothing to her, so…. I believed her. Well, not really, but there was nothing I could do."

After a second Greg responded with "So you thought there was no hope for you and Sara so why not marry the mother of your child, whether you loved her not?"

"Basically. I couldn't let her get an abortion."

"So why'd you call off the wedding? What's she going to do now?" Greg wondered.

"I told her I'd take the baby as soon as she gave birth, so she wouldn't have to deal with it. I even told her she didn't have to pay child support. And I don't love her. I can't marry her when I'm in love with Sara." Nick said.

"Okay. I understand everything now. So you're going to have a baby to raise by yourself?"

"Yeah."

"Wait. Is that why you want Sara? So-"

"No! It's not just for help with the baby!" Nick nearly shouted. "I love her so much, man. I'm in love with her. I just need to get her to see that. I'll wait as long as I have to."

Greg put up his hands in defense. "Okay! Okay, I believe you. Just makin' sure. 'Cause if you were only using Sara…."

"Never."

That one word spoke volumes and silenced Greg.

"Sorry. I didn't mean…." Nick started.

"Hey, it's all good. I understand." Greg offered.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes until a voice at the door caught their attention. "Greg, we need you to run this water and make sure it's just water."

Both men looked up to see Warrick standing in the door with a little container of water in his hand.

"Nick, what are you still doing here?" Warrick asked as Greg took the water from him, and headed for his lab.

"Waiting for Sara."

"You never left?"

"Nope."

"Hey Warrick, did you find Greg…..?" Sara's voice faded to a whisper when she came upon the break room and saw Nick still sitting where he was when she left more than two hours prior.

"Sara." Nick breathed. He stood up, but didn't move towards her.

"I'm gonna go see if Greg's found anything…. I'll see ya" Warrick said backing out of the room.

"Warrick… Wait…" Sara started only to be silenced by him.

"Sara, talk to him," Warrick whispered before turning around and leaving his two friends.

Sara stood with her back to Nick, staring out the door. She hung her head.

Nick just looked at her without saying anything.

**~~$~@~$~~ **

TBC

How's that for a horrible ending to a chapter? LoL Well, I'm sorry, but I have to get to packing before I move tomorrow, but I wanted to give you all something. I don't know when I'll get a chance to write the next chapter. I move out tomorrow, and then have band for almost 10 hours everyday from Tuesday through Sunday. I will try to write a bit on my breaks, but I can't promise anything. Marching Band really makes a person tired. Especially when it's pushin' 90 degrees outside. Please don't hate me! I promise I won't abandon this story!

Please review, but leave the flames at home! :) Thanks!!


	11. Chapter 11

Thanks so much for being so incredibly patient with me. I'm all moved in now, and classes start tomorrow, but I should have lots of time to write now! Yay! Thanks especially to MissyJane, adpi24, csi-freak03, PeTiTeCaT, cRaZyPiXiE, EmmyMik, countryfreak, oOoOo, and Crazi River for reviewing Chapter 10. Again, I am so sorry for leaving it how I did and for so long, but I thought something would be better than nothing at all. I hope you all forgive me! :)

**~~$~@~$~~**

Sara slowly turned around to face Nick. Both of their faces were etched with sadness and confusion. For a moment neither of them said anything. Sara's heart began to beat a bit faster. She hated silence, and this was killing her. But finally Nick spoke up.

"Can we talk please?" He asked her.

She nodded.

"Now?"

She nodded again.

"Not here, though."

"Shifts almost over. You wanna go for a walk or something?" Sara offered.

This time it was Nick who did the nodding.

Sara led the way out to the parking lot. The walked in silence for a little while until Sara stepped up to her Tahoe.

"I thought we were going for a walk," Nick said quietly.

"We are. I just need to put my bag away. I don't want to carry it around with me."

"Gotcha" 

Sara opened the trunk of her Tahoe, threw her bag in, then shut and lock the door. She looked up t the sky and said "It looks like it's going to rain. Let's not go too far."

"All right. Whatever you want is fine with me" 

Sara gave him a small smile, before they headed toward the sidewalk that would lead to no where in particular.

**_You are every part of me  
And with every breath I take  
Your love will light my way  
And for every day I live  
The promise that I made  
Is I will never let you go babe_**

****

They walked in silence for a little while, before Nick spoke up. "It's kinda cold out here for being August. Kind of eerie."

"Yeah. It's so quiet, too." Sara added.

"Uh huh"

Silence fell upon the two once again. 

They came upon a small park and Sara walked over to a bench. She sat down, but Nick remained standing, looking around the park and down at Sara from time to time.

"Sara-"

"Nick, I lied to you." She cut him off.

Nick fixed his gaze on her. She was staring down at her feet, hands in her lap, fingers intertwined. She looked up at him, waiting for him to say something, and when he didn't, she looked back down at her feet.

"I'm sorry" she said quietly.

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry."

"No, what did you lie to me about?" Nick asked, sitting down next to her.

Sara took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "The kiss."

"Oh?"

"Yeah."

"What did you lie about?" Nick asked.

"I did feel something."

He could barely hear her, but he knew exactly what she said, and his heart beat sped up just a little bit.

"I lied." Sara repeated.

"I knew…" Nick confessed.

****

**_I swear I never knew love like this before  
And for everything you are  
I gotta make you know  
For your love_**

****

Sara slowly turned her head to face Nick. "Why… You knew? And still….?"

"I don't know"

"What don't you know?" Sara asked.

"I don't know why I didn't say anything then. I don't know what you lied. I don't know what I was thinking. As soon as you said you didn't feel anything, I felt like…" his voice trailed off.

But Sara continued for him. "Like there was a knife in your heart and it just twisted around a few times?"

"Yeah"

"I know the feeling."

"How?" Nick asked.

Sara looked back down at her hands that were still folded in her lap. "It's the same way I felt when you told me you were going to marry her. The same feeling I felt in the locker room. The same feeling I felt when I was too late to your wedding, and I thought…"

Nick cut her off with a small laugh, which caused her to look back over at him.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"This whole situation is funny."

"I didn't find it funny" Sara said in a small voice.

"Look. If we were just honest with each other from the get go, none of this would even be happening right now." Nick pointed out.

"Oh really?"

"Really."

Sara got up and started to walk away from Nick, who was quite confused.

"Sara?" He called as he got up to follow her.

**_And I'd give anything for your love  
'Cause baby I'd never make it alone  
And forever I'll stand by your side  
I just gotta make you see yeah  
I only live... for your love_**

****

"Sara…"

"You're blaming me for this?" Sara asked abruptly.

"What? No"

"Yes you are!"

"No, I'm not! Sara, look. I should have never even gone out with Monica. This… Everything is my fault. But yes, you should have told me the truth when I asked if you felt anything…."

"You just said you already knew I was lying!"

"But I couldn't do anything about it!"

"Yes, you could have! Sara spat back.

"Like what?" Nick couldn't keep the sarcasm mixed with anger from his voice, and he didn't care either. Now Sara was just being difficult.

"I don't know! You shouldn't have gone on with the wedding in the first place!"

"It's not like I had any other options! You said you felt nothing, and whether I knew you were lying or not, I wasn't going to sit around and wait for you to make up your mind while Monica was sitting there wanting to kill my baby!"

Suddenly the clouds above them began pouring down rain drops and within a few seconds they were both soaked to the bone, but neither of them moved. 

"Why did you even call off the wedding then?" Sara screamed as she began walking away from him towards the street.

"Because I love you!" Nick shouted over the loud sound of the rain storm.

"No you don't!" Sara yelled before running out into the street, totally oblivious to the car that was speeding down the road. 

Nick, on the other hand, did see the speeding car. He saw Sara. He saw the car. And he saw the car speeding up as it neared her. "Sara!" He screamed as he ran as fast as he could out into the street. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pushed their bodies to the other side of the road, just as the car sped by them and down the street the opposite way, never even noticing the two pedestrians.

**_When I was running out of faith  
You still believed in me  
And never let me fall  
And the times I lost my way  
You're the one who held me up  
And brought me through it all_**

****

Nick could feel his heart beating quickly in his chest. It felt like it was going to jump right out of his body. His head was spinning, and he felt as if he would lose consciousness at any minute. "Sara?" He whispered as he slowly picked himself up off of her still body. She was laying face first on the sidewalk. He had landed on top of her after he pushed her to safety. "Sara!" He repeated a little louder. 

Nick put two fingers on Sara's neck and felt her pulse. "Sara!" He yelled once more as he slowly rolled her over onto her back. Her nose was bleeding, and there was a long gash on her right cheek, but other than that, she looked okay. 

Slowly and carefully Nick picked her up and brought her back to the bench they had previously occupied. He laid her down carefully. He ran a hand through her hair. "Sara, honey, wake up." He gently lifted her shirt to make sure she wasn't bleeding anywhere else, and was thankful when he didn't even find a bruise. He shook her gently as he whispered her name once more. 

Sara's eyes fluttered open. She closed them quickly to block out the rain that was still pouring down. "Nick?" She whispered.

"Sara! Honey, are you okay?"

"I think my nose is broken."

"What about anything else? Does your stomach hurt? Or your ribs? Anything?" Nick asked frantically.

"No. I think I'm fine."

"Can you sit up?"

Sara nodded, and she began to sit up, Nick helping her. "It's so cold." Sara said shivering.

"I know. I need to take you to the hospital. See if you're okay. Can you walk?" Nick said holding onto her shoulders as she tried to stand up.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Sara said standing up straight, but quickly grabbing onto Nick for support.

"Come on, I'll carry you back to the lab." Nick said picking her up and cradling her shivering body in his arms.

"Nick, I'm fine" she protested, but he was already heading back to the lab, and wasn't going to let go of her until they got there.

**_I swear I never saw it like this before  
'Cause baby with your love you gave me  
The reason to go on  
And for your love_**

****

On the way back to the lab, the rain had stopped as quickly as it came. Nick reached his Tahoe, and with great skill unlocked the passenger side door without needing to put Sara down. He gently sat her down in the seat, fastened her seat belt, closed the door, and went over to his side of the car.

"Nick!"

Nick spun around and saw Warrick jogging over to him.

"Nick, what happened?" He asked breathlessly.

"We were arguing and she ran out into the street. A car was coming. I pushed her out of the way. I think her nose is broken. I'm just going to take her to the hospital."

"I'm coming" Warrick said opening the back door, and hopping in, without even giving Nick a chance to protest.

Nick hopped in the car, and sped off towards the hospital, a sleeping Sara, and worried Warrick in tow.

**_And I'd give anything for your love  
'Cause baby I'd never make it alone  
And forever I'll stand by your side  
I just gotta make you see yeah  
I only live... for your love_**

****

Sara slowly opened her eyes, and gazed around the room. She spotted Warrick by her side, sleeping in a chair. She looked over to the other side of the room and saw Nick standing in front of the window staring at nothing in particular. "Nick?" She whispered.

Within two seconds, Nick was at her side. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I told you that now five times already."

"Your nose is broken, Sar."

"I can tell" she said.

Nick smiled as he sat down in the chair by her bed.

"How long have I been in here?"

"I think about three or four hours."

"Are you serious?" Sara asked.

Nick nodded.

"Four hours for a broken nose?"

"Well, the doctor wanted you to stay until you woke up just to make sure everything was okay. You have been asleep since I brought you in. You must have been tired"

Sara closed her eyes and nodded.

**_And everything I am  
And all that I could be  
Would mean nothing now  
If you're not with me  
Shinin' your light on me  
When night is closin' in  
When I was weak  
You were the one who made me strong  
you gave me faith to carry on_**

****

"Sara?" Warrick said sleepily.

"Yeah Warrick, I'm fine." She answered without opening her eyes.

"I know." He stood up and bent over her to kiss her forehead. "I'm gonna head out. Call me if you need anything."

"Thanks." Sara said opening her eyes, and giving him a small smile.

"Bye" Warrick said as he walked out of the room.

**_And I'd give anything for your love  
'Cause baby I'd never make it alone  
And forever I'll stand by your side  
I just gotta make you see yeah  
I only live... for your love_**

****

"I'll take you home if you're ready" Nick spoke up a few minutes after Warrick had left.

"I'm ready"

"Okay. I'll go get the doctor"

"Thanks"

Nick left the room and came back with the doctor, who had release forms for Sara to sign. Within twenty minutes, Sara and Nick were in his Tahoe on the way to Sara's house.

"Nick?"

"Yeah"

"Can I come home with you?"

"Of course" Nick smiled.

"Thank you"

**_And I'd give anything for your love  
'Cause baby I'd never make it alone  
And forever I'll stand by your side..._**

****

**~~$~@~$~~**

TBC

I'm sorry if this chapter totally sucked. I will blame it on my taking so long to update it. I'll try to never take so long again. I think I kinda lost some momentum or something, and I apologize. I hope you all still like it, and will read and review anyways, though. Thanks for being so patient!

****

****

****

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****


	12. Chapter 12

Ugh! Too much school! So sorry for being so slow! I know I promised not to take so long, but I've just been so incredibly busy! Marching Band is taking up my whole life! Just this past weekend we performed at our college's football game, a high school competition, and the Bengals/Steelers game! It's craziness I tell you! Don't worry though… September is the busiest month and it's almost over now! Yay! 

Thanks to MissyJane, adpi24, cRaZyPiXiE, crazi river, PeTiTeCaT, oOoOo, EmmyMik, candaceFABULOUS, and Nepeace for reviewing the last chapter. You guys rock!!

**~~$~@~$~~**

Sara woke to the sound of thunder booming in the sky. She rubbed her temples trying to stop the migraine of all migraines, but it was no use. That's when she felt the bandages on her cheek and nose. It all came back to her now: running out into the middle of the street, the car that she never saw, Nick pushing her out of the way, and then being in the hospital. 

Slowly she opened her eyes and gazed around the room. It wasn't hers. 

She sat up straight and noticed that the clothes she was wearing weren't hers either. She had on a pair of navy blue sweat pants that were a bit too big for her, and a Dallas Cowboys t-shirt. 

"Nick?" She whispered into the darkness. 

She was only answered with a bright flash of lightening and another clap of thunder. She looked around the room for a clock and found a small digital alarm sitting on the bedside table. It read 11:33. 'Maybe he's at work?' she thought to herself.

Slowly Sara pushed the sheets off of her body, and got up out of the queen-sized bed. She saw her clothes sitting in a neat pile on a chair in the corner of the room, and for a second she wondered who it was who changed her clothes. But her thoughts were interrupted by an even louder clap of thunder that nearly made her jump out of her skin. "Sheesh" she breathed.

Sara quietly tip-toed out of the bedroom and into the dark hallway. From what she could tell, there was not one light on in the small house. "Nick?" She called.

No answer.

She felt around the wall for a light switch and let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding when she finally found one. She flipped the switch and shed light upon on a small living room and kitchen. 

Empty.

Sara gazed around the room for a note of some kind that would let her know where Nick was.

She didn't find anything. 

Suddenly Sara felt very vulnerable. Her heart rate sped up and she could feel beads of sweat trickling down her forehead. A shiver ran down her spine, and another sickening clap of thunder made her yelp.

"Sara?"

Now the sound of her own name made her scream. She spun around to find Nick standing in the doorway of what appeared to be another bedroom, a concerned look on his face.

When she said nothing, Nick took a few steps towards her slightly shaking body.

"Sara, are you okay?"

She nodded, trying to stop the trembling of her hands as she wiped the sweat from her brow.

"What is it?" He asked taking another step towards her, and placing a hand on each shoulder.

When he felt how badly she was shaving, Nick pulled Sara's body up against his, and held her tightly. "Oh, Sara."

Sara felt her body relax, and breathed a sigh of relief. She pulled away and looked up at him with a sheepish grin on her face. "I just don't like storms I guess. And I didn't know where you were." She looked down at her outfit, then continued. "I didn't know where these came from."

Nick chuckled, and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Sorry. You were just so tired when we got here, and your clothes were soaked, so I put these on you. And then I threw your wet clothes into the dryer so you could have them when you woke up. Sorry if I scared you."

"It's okay." 

Nick led Sara over to his couch and they both sat down. 

"How long have we been here? And shouldn't you be at work?" Sara asked.

"A few hours, and I took the night off so I could make sure you were okay."

"Oh."

Nick gently touched Sara's injured cheek. "How do you feel?"

Sara turned her body so she was facing him. "I don't know."

Nick gave her another concerned look, and gently caressed her cheek with his thumb.

"Physically… I have a headache, and my nose hurts. Mentally and emotionally? The jury is still out on that one."

"Sara, I'm sorry for doing this to you"

Sara pulled away from him, and looked into his eyes. "Please, don't start this again."

"We need to talk about it."

"Why? It's in the past. It's done and over. Can't we just move on?" Sara stood up a little too quickly and fell back down onto the couch.

Nick moved closer to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into his embrace. He ran his fingers through her hair and rested his chin on top of her head, slightly rocking her body back and forth.

Sara buried her face in his chest and wrapped her arms around his torso. 

"I love you" Nick whispered into her hair.

Sara silently pulled away from him, and looked into his deep brown eyes. Nick reached up and cupped her cheek with his hand, caressing her soft skin with his thumb. 

"Can I kiss you?" He asked.

Sara shook her head from side to side slowly, not breaking his gaze.

"Oh" Nick dropped his hand from her cheek and stood up, but before he could walk away, Sara grabbed his hand.

Nick looked back down at her, but she didn't say a word. 

"I understand Sara. I mean I put you through a lot. I could understand why you wouldn't want to be with me-"

"Nick. Stop."

Nick shut his mouth as Sara slowly stood up, using him for support. She didn't let go of his hand as she stepped closer to him, their lips mere inches apart. She could feel his hot breath against her face as she slowly leaned in and brushed her lips against his.

**~~$~@~$~~**

TBC

Yay for fluff!! 

Please hit that little button and let me know that you're still with me!


	13. Chapter 13

Thanks again for all the reviews! Keep 'em coming!

**~~$~@~$~~**

**One Month Later**

**~~$~@~$~~**

"Thanks for dinner, Warrick" Sara said as she placed her fork down on the table, and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"I'm glad you could come"

"Why wouldn't I? I always have time for you" Sara smiled.

Warrick blushed and winked back at his friend. 

After a few more moments of silence, Warrick spoke up. "How are you, Sara?"

"I'm great"

"Really? I mean are you?" Warrick asked.

The smile disappeared from Sara's face as she gazed down at her half-eaten salad. "Things are finally starting to get back to normal."

"That's good."

"Monica is due in five months…" she trailed off.

"Sara-"

"Its fine, Warrick. Are you ready to go?" She said nearly jumping out of her seat.

"Sara, please sit down" Warrick said reaching for her hand. "Talk to me."

"I don't know where to begin. I mean after the accident, Nick took care of me and everything, but over the past three weeks he's been really distant. He doesn't talk to me all that much at work. We haven't been assigned to the same case since…. I can't even remember the last time we worked together. I don't know. Maybe I'm just making something out of nothing." Sara leaned back in her chair and rubbed her temples with her hands.

"Sara, he loves you."

"He told me. But lately… I just don't know…. I mean he hasn't even officially asked me out. It's like he realized I'm not really what he wants."

"Oh come on. You know that's not true. You're every guy's dream, Sar." Warrick said squeezing her hand.

"Warrick-"

"You are, Sara, so don't try and deny it." Warrick insisted.

Sara felt a blush creep up her cheeks as she smiled. "Thanks" she said quietly.

Warrick let out a nervous chuckle. "You're like the little sister or best friend I never had… But I do have you now. If I thought Nick was going to hurt you I would have never even let you near him."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Warrick stated, squeezing her hand once more. "I love you Sara, there's no way in Hell I'd let him hurt you."

Sara felt a tear fall down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. "Don't make me cry, War!" She warned as a smile broke out across her face.

"Sorry, girl. Just statin' the truth." Warrick grinned.

A half an hour later, Warrick and Sara were walking up to her apartment. They stopped outside the door. "Thank you, Warrick, for tonight. For everything. For being my friend. And just… thanks." Sara smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Warrick wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, and pulled her body against his. "You don't have to thank me, Sara."

Sara pulled away after a few minutes and stood on her tip-toes to plant a kiss on Warrick's cheek. "I love you, too, War."

"Good night, Sara."

"Yeah. I'll see you at work tomorrow."

"Yep."

Sara watched as Warrick headed back down the hallway and to the elevator. She felt a grin spread across her face as she unlocked the door to her apartment.

When she opened the door, Sara gasped. There must have been nearly one hundred candles scattered around her kitchen and living room. As she stepped further into her home she could see rose petals everywhere. There was a bouquet of a dozen roses sitting on her countertop as well. 

She slowly crept over to where the bouquet was and found a small note on the counter by the vase. 

**_roses are red_**

**_violets are blue_**

**_i know it's corny _**

**_but i just wanted you to know_**

**_how much i love you_**

Sara giggled nervously as she read the note. She knew it was Nick's handwriting. 'I bet Warrick was in on this' she said to herself. 'I'll have to thank him later'. She placed the note back down on the counter, and threw her keys down next to it. 

"Nick?" She called as she headed down the hallway to her bedroom, which was also filled with candles and flowers, along with the bathroom and spare bedroom. 

"Nick?" She called again searching each room. 

They were al empty. 

Sara slowly walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch. That's when she saw it.

A small black velvet box.

Sara gasped as she removed the box from her coffee table. Her heart rate sped up and the butterflies in her stomach started fluttering once more. "Oh my" she breathed.

Taking another deep breath, she lifted the lid.

It was empty. 

"What the-?" she asked, confused.

"Looking for this?"

Sara nearly leapt out of her skin when she heard the voice. She scanned around the dimly lit room until she finally saw him, the light from the candles bouncing off of his handsome features. From what Sara could tell he was dressed completely in black. That was probably one of the main reasons she didn't see him in the first place. 

Slowly she stood and walked over to where he was standing in the corner of the room. "Nick" she said quietly.

"Sara" Nick said just as softly.

Sara saw that he had a small ring around his pointer finger.

Nick followed her gaze down to the simple diamond ring. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "So, um.. Sara, will you… um… I was wondering if you'd… umm…"

"Nick!" Sara exclaimed, frightening both of them. 

"Marry me?" 

"Yes?" 

"Really?"

"Yes."

They stared at each other speechless for a minute or two before Nick started laughing nervously.

"What's so funny?" Sara asked.

Her only answer was that of Nick's lips pressed firmly against hers.

**~~$~@~$~~**

**TBC, of course!**

**~~$~@~$~~**

Please review and let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

Just a little reminder… None of these characters belong to me, except for Monica. And she isn't even in the story that much… So yeah. Now, if George Eads, Gary Dourdan, or Eric Szmanda were given to me, I would take them with open arms.

Thanks a ton for all the reviews! Keep them coming! 

**~~$~@~$~~**

Sara's eyes fluttered open, and to her surprise, Nick was already awake. He was lying on his side next to her, just watching her. "Good morning" she said sleepily.

"Good morning, beautiful" Nick said leaning in to kiss her briefly. "It's about time you wake up."

"What time is it?" Sara asked craning her neck in search of a clock.

"Almost 1:00…. pm."

"What? I slept for ten hours?" she asked, in shock. 

"Sure did. I was worried. I had to check and make sure you were breathing every twenty minutes. Have you ever slept more than five hours at a time before?" Nick asked with a smirk on his face.

Sara pulled herself up into a sitting position and leaned back against the head of the bed. "Not in a long time." She turned to look at the man she planned on spending the rest of her life with, and then her gaze fell to the small diamond ring that decorated her finger. "It was the best night of sleep I've had in a very long time."

Nick leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Glad I could help."

Sara smiled. "Me too."

"So, do you want something to eat?" Nick asked, caressing her cheek with his thumb.

Sara shook her head, still smiling. "No."

"Not hungry?"

She shook her head again. "I don't want to leave this bed. Not yet. Can we just stay here a little bit longer? Together?"

"Of course" Nick said, pulling her body against his. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and rested his chin on top of her head, breathing in the smell of her sweet shampoo. He could feel Sara's body relax in his arms.

Just as Nick was feeling himself start to drift of to sleep, he heard Sara begin to giggle. "What's so funny?' he asked.

"Nothing" she said between giggles.

"Oh come on. Tell me!" Nick whined as he began tickling her sides.

"Hey… no… fair!" Sara squealed as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp.

"Oh, no, you're not going anywhere until you tell me what's so funny" Nick said, trapping her body underneath his.

Sara's giggles subsided. She rested her hands on Nick's strong shoulders and gazed into his eyes. "This" she said simply. "Us. I just never thought we'd be here, together."

Nick brushed the hair away from her face, and brushed his lips against hers. "I couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now."

Sara closed her eyes and turned her head away from Nick's.

"What?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Nothing."

"Sara-" Nick warned.

"It's just that – a month ago you were engaged to another woman, yet now you're telling me that you couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now, but here with me."

Nick rolled over onto his back, and took in a deep breath. "Sara, I thought we put this behind us."

"I'm sorry, but think about it. You could be married right now."

"But I'm not." Nick said cutting her off. "There was no way I could actually marry her, and be happy. And the baby is going to be taken care of. As soon as he or she is born and out of the hospital, it will be mine. I will have a little baby in a few months. I'm going to be a father. And the only woman I want to be the mother of my child is you, not Monica. Even though this baby is not biologically yours, I only want you to help me raise him or her. And soon, I would love to have our own child. There is nothing in the world that I want more than to have a family with you, Sara."

Sara was quiet for a few moments before speaking up. "Nick, I have to tell you something."

"Sara, you can tell me anything, and you know that." Nick said, propping his head up on his hand.

"There's a chance that I may not be able to have any children."

Now it was Nick's turn to be silent.

"I had endometriosis when I was in college. I had surgery, and now I'm taking medicine, but there's still almost a fifty percent chance. There was just so much damage to my uterus.." She took in a shaky breath, and let it out slowly. "I'm so sorry."

Nick reached out to cup her cheek with his hand. He turned her head so she was facing him. "Sara, I love you. No matter what, I love you. We can always try. And if not, we'll still have this baby, and we can always adopt."

"Nick, don't you understand? I may never be able to give you a child of your own. Can you really live with that?" Sara asked.

"Yes. As long as I have you, yes, I can. Don't worry about that now. We have plenty of time. Let me just hold you for now. Let's just enjoy us." Nick said as he wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her body against his, so her back was pressed against his hard chest. 

"Nick, I want to wait." Sara said suddenly.

"Wait? For what?"

Sara took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I want to wait until our wedding night…."

Realization hit him. "Oh" he breathed. 

"Is-is that okay?" Sara asked timidly.

Nick kissed the top of her head before answering. "Of course."

"I just want it to be special." Sara explained.

"Every time will be special, Sar," he responded quickly.

"I know. But I want the first time to be even more special…"

"It will be"

"You're sure you're okay with waiting?" Sara asked, turning around in his embrace so that she could face him.

"Are you kidding?" he asked, brushing the hair away from her face. "I would wait forever for you."

"Really?"

"Really."

"I love you, Nick." Sara whispered.

Nick leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. "I love you, too, Sara."

**~~$~@~$~~**

**     TBC**

**~~$~@~$~~**

Yes, it was short, but there was a lot of information to take in. Next chapter will be a few months in the future, so I can move this right a long. 

Please hit that little button, and let me know what you think. Also, I will be taking suggestions for baby names if anyone wants to give me some ideas.


	15. Chapter 15

As always, nothing belongs to me… sigh…

Thanks for all the reviews!! You all rock so much!!

**      ~~$~@~$~~**

**Three Months Later**

**      ~~$~@~$~~**

"Oh, I can't wait to get this baby out of my body!" Monica complained as she and Bianca walked out of Cub Foods Grocery Store.

"You're what seven months along?" 

"Yeah something like that. Maybe it can come prematurely. Then it will be even sooner. I can't stand being pregnant. Why couldn't Nick just let me get the abortion?" 

They came to their car, and began piling all the groceries in the back.

"I think it's just so he could impress that co-worker of his. You know the one that showed up late to his wedding. Can't be that great of a friend is she showed up thirty minutes late." Bianca commented as she dumped the last bag into the car, and slammed the door shut.

"I bet if she weren't in his life, I wouldn't be pregnant right now." Monica said climbing behind the steering wheel.

"I don't know about that. He is a good guy, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Good for sex."

Bianca giggled. "You're such a whore!"

"I am not!"

"Look at Nick! In less than three months he knocked me up, got engaged, called off the wedding at the last minute, and then shacked up with his virgin-nun co-worker."

"You're such a bitch, you know?" Bianca said between fits of laughter.

"Oh, I know." Monica admitted as she pulled out of the parking lot and drove towards the apartment building she and Bianca lived in.

"So, what are you going to do?" Bianca asked as they pulled into the parking lot.

"About what?"

"You know what. Nick, the baby, the virgin-queen?"

"What do you mean?"

Bianca sighed loudly as they gathered the groceries and headed to their apartments, which were on the same floor. "He's going to be living happily, raising your baby, with some other woman."

"Yeah, so? It's not like I want this runt. And Nick… Well, he was just good for the sex anyways. And I really don't care about the next notch on his belt."

"I still think you're getting the crappiest end of this deal ever. I know you don't want the baby, but you could always make it seem as if you do, and then make Nick pay a fortune, since you know damn well he would. Then you'd get all that money. You could pay off the rest of  your college tuition AND mine."

"I don't know, Binks." Monica said as she unlocked her door and dropped the food on the counter.

"And you know, you shouldn't be carrying that stuff." Bianca said, following her in.

"Eh, I don't care."

Bianca laughed. "At least think about doing something to make Nick regret this whole situation. I think it could definitely work to your benefit."

Monica sighed. "All right. I'll think of something."

"Good."

**~~$~@~$~~**

"So when's the day?" Catherine asked as she, Nick, Sara, and Warrick sat around the break room waiting for assignments.

"June 23rd." Sara said happily. 

"That's less than a month away!"

"I know" Sara said, still smiling.

"Do you have everything planned yet?" Catherine asked.

Sara looked over her shoulder at Nick, who was sitting on the couch with Warrick watching some sporting event, then back to Catherine. "We've got the gist of it."

"I'm really happy for you guys" 

"Thanks" Sara grinned. "I'm happy, too."

"I can tell."

Sara blushed.

Just as Catherine was getting ready to ask Sara for more details, Grissom walked in with a serious look on his face. "Okay guys, time for work. We have a 419 over in the Garden Apartments. Stabbing. One victim. Sara, Warrick, you're on it. Catherine and Nick, you guys have a home invasion. I'll be in the lab in case any of you need help. I've got court tomorrow morning."

"Alright boss, we're on it," Nick said taking the assignment slip.

As his team left, Grissom breathed a sigh of relief. For once he was happy that all he had to do was paperwork for his trial. Home invasions were too tedious for him, and he hated working over in Gardens. That's where Holly Gribbs  was murdered, and he'd never be able to bring himself to go over there again. He sunk down into his chair, and began figuring out how exactly to explain to a jury of citizens how he can tell, using bugs, when a person died.

**~~$~@~$~~**

"Oh, I really don't like Home Invasions." Catherine whined as Nick pulled up to their crime scene.

"Neither do I, but it's our job."

"I know."

Just as Nick and Catherine were getting their kits out of the back of the Tahoe, Brass jogged up to them. "Hey guys, go on home. False alarm."

"Why didn't you call us sooner?" Nick asked, angry that they had driven all the way out there for nothing. 

"Sorry, I just got here myself." Brass offered.

"Oh well. I guess we can go see if Sara or Warrick need any help." Catherine suggested.

They thanked Brass then hopped in the Tahoe and headed back to the lab to check in with Grissom.

**~~$~@~$~~**

"You know, I almost got one of these apartments when I first came to Vegas." Sara told Warrick as they walked into the building, and towards to elevator.

"Well, I must say that I am very glad you didn't chose to live here."

"Me too."

The vic lived on the sixth floor, and neither Sara nor Warrick wanted to carry their kits up six flights of stairs.

"Whoever invented elevators is a god." Sara commented as they road up.

When they neared the fifth floor, the elevator stopped suddenly and the lights flickered a few times before going out all together.

"What was that you were saying about elevators?" Warrick asked sarcastically.

"I said whoever invented them was a god. That doesn't mean the people who built this one are." Sara answered.

A few seconds later a small emergency light came on, and gave little light to the small space. Sara reached down for the emergency phone, and informed the building manager of the situation. He told her that they'd have it fixed within the next thirty minutes.

"Well, I guess we better get comfortable" Warrick said, sitting down.

"Yeah" Sara sat down next to him, and leaned her head against the wall of the elevator.

"So, are you nervous?" Warrick asked, breaking the silence.

"About a 419?" Sara laughed. "Not at all."

Warrick chuckled and punched her arm playfully. "That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"I'm nervous as hell!" Sara exclaimed.

"Yeah, I thought so"

"Are you happy?"

"Hell yes!" Sara exclaimed once more.

Warrick laughed again, as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug. "I'm happy for you guys."

"Thanks, Warrick."

Almost a half hour later, Sara and Warrick felt the elevator kick back to life. And a few seconds later the doors opened to the fifth floor. The vic's apartment was only a few feet away from the elevator. There was yellow police tape all around the door. 

"Looks like another Murder Central" Sara commented as she and Warrick slipped underneath the tape, and took a look around the small apartment. 

Brass trudged up to them, sweat rolling down his forehead, and short of breath. "Hey guys" 

"Hey Brass, I thought you were on that other case with Nick and Catherine" Sara said. 

"Yeah, but theirs was a false alarm. In fact, Nick is on his way over here and Catherine is going home to take care of Lindsey. What's up with the elevator? I think I waited for almost ten minutes. Then I climbed all the way up the stairs."

"Yeah it's broken" Warrick explained. "It got stuck while we were on it"

"Ah, I see"

"Hey guys, am I late for the party?" Nick asked as he walked into the apartment to join the rest of the group.

"Nope. We just got here ourselves" Sara said, happy to see her fiancée. 

Nick walked over to where David was looking over the vic before taking her back to the lab, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her face. "Oh my god" he breathed, clasping a hand over his mouth.

"Nick?" Sara asked, concerned. She looked down at the body, and felt her heart stop beating.

"Monica" Nick said in a small voice. "That's Monica." 

**~~$~@~$~~**

**     TBC**

**~~$~@~$~~**

Please hit that little purple button and let me know what you all think!


	16. Chapter 16

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I'm glad some of you seemed to enjoy the little twists I throw into my stories every so often.

**~~$~@~$~~**

"That's Monica" Nick repeated again. 

"You know her?" Brass asked, catching his breath.

"She was carrying his baby" Sara said in a small voice, not taking her eyes off of Monica's lifeless body.

"Oh God! The baby!" Nick began breathing heavy and fast. He felt like someone had shoved a rag down his throat. He couldn't swallow. 

"Nick! Nick, breathe!" Sara guided him out of the apartment and down the hall a ways. She put both hands on his shoulders, as he leaned over to put his head in between his knees. 

"Tell me I'm dreaming" Nick said in a small voice. "Please Sara? Tell me I'm going to wake up"

She didn't know what to say. She simply took his shaking body in her arms, and held him tightly. "Nick… I-I don't know what to say."

"The baby? My baby? Is she gone?" Nick asked in a panic.

"She?" Sara asked, confused.

Nick's gaze dropped to the floor – finding his shoes very interesting. "She told me yesterday that I was having a girl. My own baby girl."

"Nick, I-"

"She has to be alive! Monica was almost eight months pregnant. She could have made it. She's a strong baby! I know she had to make it! Please! Sara, please…" Nick headed back towards Monica's apartment, Sara following behind.

"Brass!" Nick shouted. "Monica… She was pregnant…. Umm… The baby?"

The homicide didn't say anything. It was times like these when he really hated his job. 

"No" Nick whispered. "No! God, no! My baby! She has to be alive! David, check again. Please!" He bent down next to David who was still finishing up with Monica's body.

"I'm sorry, Nick. Monica has been dead for almost ten hours. There's no way…"

"David, check again."

"We'll take her to the hospital and have the doctors do a C-Section-"

"Thank you, David." Nick said standing back up again.

"Please, don't get your hopes up, Nick." David stood up as well and headed out of the apartment with Monica's body.

Nick turned to Sara, tears in his eyes. She wrapped her arms around his body and pulled him against her and a small effort to keep him calm. She knew he'd soon lose all control of his emotions. She needed to get him out of there. He needed to be at home right now, not in the middle of a crime scene.

"Come on. Let me take you home. They'll call us when they find anything out." Sara whispered into his ear.

Warrick walked up to the two and placed a hand on Sara's shoulder. "Grissom is going to come and help me with this. Why don't you two head on home."

Nick pulled away from Sara. "I should go to the hospital."

"No, Nick. I'm taking you home" Sara said sternly. She turned around and gave Warrick a quick hug and peck on the cheek. "Thank you."

"Don't worry about it, Sar. Just get him out of here." Warrick said warmly. He patted Nick on the back before heading into the bedroom to look for any evidence.

Sara turned back to Nick and took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. They walked silently out of the apartment, down the stairs and to Nick's Tahoe. Without speaking he handed her his car keys and went to get into the passenger side of the car.

**~~$~@~$~~**

**There's a song that's inside of my soul.   
It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again.   
I'm awake in  
the infinite cold, but you sing to me over and over and over again.**

**~~$~@~$~~**

Sara led Nick into the house that they now shared. Sara still owned her apartment, but that was only because they hadn't had enough time to get everything out of it. She led him to the couch, and turned to walk away, but Nick grabbed her hand and prevented her from moving. "Sara" he said in a small voice.

She sat down next to him, and immediately wrapped her arms around his body, pulling him as close to her as he could get.

Nick buried his face in her neck. He held onto her as if letting go would mean falling to his death. Sara ran her hand up and down his back, rocking him slightly. She could feel his tears on her skin as he began to sob once more.

**~~$~@~$~~**

**So I lay my head back down,   
and I lift my hands and pray to be only yours   
I pray to be only yours.   
I know now you're my  
only hope.**

**~~$~@~$~~**

An hour later, they were lying in bed, Nick still clinging to Sara. He had stopped crying a little while earlier, and had fallen into a restless sleep. Sara was still awake. She was afraid that if she fell asleep she wouldn't be there when he needed her. She could feel his steady breath on her neck and it pained her to see someone so strong brought down to this level of pain. Every part of her body ached for him. She looked down at his peaceful face and noticed one simple tear fall from his closed eyelids, and slowly roll down his cheek. She leaned in and kissed it away, hoping not to wake him, but almost wishing she would so she could talk to him; see how he was feeling.

He stirred slightly, and slowly opened his eyes. They were blood shot and red-rimmed. Sara could feel her heart breaking at that very moment. 

"Hey" she whispered.

"Hi" Nick said in response.

**~~$~@~$~~**

**Sing to me the song of the stars.   
Of your galaxy dancing and laughing and laughing again.   
When it feels like my dreams are  
so far, sing to me of the plans that you have for me over again.**

**~~$~@~$~~**

"How are you feeling?" Sara asked.

Nick smiled. "I don't know"

"It's going to be okay, Nick."

He didn't say anything, just stared into her deep brown eyes, the pain in his heart, he could see on her face. He cupped her cheek with his hand, and leaned in to brush his lips against hers.

**~~$~@~$~~**

**So I lay my head back down,   
and I lift my hands and pray to be only yours   
I pray to be only yours.   
I know now you're my  
only hope.**

**~~$~@~$~~**

"Nick" Sara said breathlessly after she pulled away.

"I love you" he said, stopping her from saying anything else.

Sara smiled a small smile. She pressed her lips firmly against his, kissing him hungrily. Nick leaned back on the couch, pulling her on top of him, not breaking the kiss. 

Nick slid his tongue along Sara's bottom lip. She opened her mouth, welcoming his tongue to dance seductively with her own. 

Sara pulled back slightly and gazed down into his eyes. 

Nick stared up at the woman in his arms; her lips were slightly swollen from their passionate and hungry kisses. He brushed the hair out of her face, and tucked it behind her ears, letting his fingers linger on her cheeks. 

"I love you" she whispered in a husky voice.

**~~$~@~$~~**

**I give you my destiny.   
I'm giving you all of me.   
I want your symphony.   
Singing in all that I am.   
At the top of my lungs,  
I'm giving it back**

**~~$~@~$~~**

Sara laid her head on Nick's chest, her arms wrapping around his neck. Nick placed one hand on Sara's back, while the other drew lazy circles on her arm. 

"Nick?" Sara whispered.

"Yeah, Sar?"

"No matter what happens, I'm here. I'll always be here. To love you and hold you. I'm here." She lifted her head and kisses his neck before laying her head back down on his chest.

Nick didn't respond with words. He simply wrapped both arms around her body, and kissed the top of her head. Then he found her left hand with his right one. He twirled her engagement ring with his fingers and then brought her hand to his lips, kissing it tenderly. He then let their joined hands rest on his chest.

"Forever" Sara whispered. "I'll be here forever"

**~~$~@~$~~**

**So I lay my head back down,   
and I lift my hands and pray to be only yours   
I pray to be only yours.  
I pray to be only yours.  
I know now you're my  
only hope**

**~~$~@~$~~**

**      TBC**

**~~$~@~$~~**

Well, let me know what you think. The fate of Nick's child will be determined in the next chapter. Hit that purple button and let me know what you think! 


	17. Chapter 17

Thanks so much for all the great reviews! And yes, I know what you all _want _to happen. But as Brianna stated in her review, it's not possible. I hope you don't hate me, but that's just the way the story pulled me. I'm letting it write itself. 

And as always, I don't own anything, not even the computer I'm using to write these fantastic stories…

**~~$~@~$~~**

Sara awoke to the sound of a phone ringing. It was Nick's cell phone. It was playing the _Maple Leaf Drag_. She raised her head off of chest and reached over to the bedside table where his phone was still ringing.

"Hello?" she answered softly, quietly climbing out of bed, and walking out of the room and down the hall so she wouldn't wake Nick.

"Sara? It's Brass. I'm at the hospital. Is Nick with you?"

"Yeah, he's sleeping" Sara said quietly as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"I can call back later-"

"No" Sara said quickly. "No, just tell me. Please."

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone, and Sara already knew what he was going to tell her. 

"I'm sorry." Another pause. "Just tell Nick that I'm sorry."

Sara let the phone fall from her hands and land with a clatter on the tile floor. She brought her hands to her face, and allowed the tears to spill from her eyes. 

"Sara?"

Nick's voice silenced her. He was standing a few feet away from her, holding his cell phone. He wore a concerned look on his face.

"What?" He asked again.

Sara stood up and walked over to him. She couldn't keep her chin from quivering as she spoke. "It was Brass. He was at the hospital." She choked back another sob. "I'm so sorry."

**~~$~@~$~~**

**I'll always remember  
It was late afternoon  
It lasted forever  
And ended so soon  
You were all by yourself   
Staring up at a dark grey sky   
I was changed**

**~~$~@~$~~**

They stood there in the kitchen holding each other for what seemed like forever. They took turns crying and yelling. Soon they found their way back to bed, and laid there, holding each other some more, hoping it would all just go away; the pain, suffering, hurt, sadness, anger, and the emptiness.

**~~$~@~$~~**

**In places no one will find   
All your feelings so deep inside  
Was there that I realized   
That forever was in your eyes  
The moment I saw you cry  
The moment i saw you cry**

**~~$~@~$~~**

Nearly two hours later the couple had pulled themselves out of bed, cleaned up, and were headed into Desert Palm Hospital to meet up with Brass, and the doctor who delivered the baby. They sat, waiting, in two hard plastic chairs, watching the world pass them by.  Mothers with newborn babies, fathers rejoicing after hearing the news that their child will be okay, families huddled together in chairs similar to their own. They saw everything, but didn't really notice any of it.

**~~$~@~$~~**

**It was late in September   
And I've seen you before(and you were)  
You were always the cold one   
But I was never that sure  
You were all by yourself  
Staring up at a dark grey sky   
I was changed**

**~~$~@~$~~**

"Nick. Sara." Brass said their names quietly as he walked up to them with a doctor trailing behind. 

They both stood, Nick still clinging to Sara's hand. Sara not minding at all. 

"This is Doctor Andrew Meyer. He delivered your baby." Brass informed them. "I'll let him fill you in on everything"

"Thanks Jim." Sara said, giving him a small smile.

Brass offered up a comforting smile to the couple then turned and headed back down the hallway.

"I take it you are Nick Stokes? The father of Monica Gruber's child?" Doctor Meyer asked.

Nick nodded.

"I'm sorry about your loss."

**~~$~@~$~~**

**In places no one will find   
All your feelings so deep inside (deep inside)   
It was there that I realized   
That forever was in your eyes  
The moment I saw you cry**

**~~$~@~$~~**

"We delivered the child through C-Section, but the child was already dead. I'm sorry but there was nothing we could do. Ms. Gruber had been dead for far too long for the baby to survive. I'm sorry, but we did all that was possible." Dr. Meyer explained.

"I understand" Nick said sadly. "Can we... uh… Can we see her?"

"The baby?" Dr. Meyer asked, shocked.

"Yes."

"Are you sure? I mean-"

"We're sure, Doctor." Sara spoke up.

"All right. Follow me."

**~~$~@~$~~**

**I wanted to hold you  
I wanted to make it go away   
I wanted to know you  
I wanted to make your everything...all right   
I'll always remember   
It was late afternoon  
In places no one will find**

**~~$~@~$~~**

Nick and Sara followed Dr. Meyer hand in hand down a hallway, up a flight of stairs, and then down another hallway until they came to a small operating room. There were two beds. One bed carried the lifeless body of Monica, which was covered up with a sheet. And the other had a smaller sheet, under which laid the lifeless body of Nick's baby girl. 

"I would strongly advice not uncovering the child. She was very underdeveloped for being nearly eight months old. We're pretty sure that Ms. Gruber wasn't staying healthy for her baby, and that's one of the reasons. The baby was also cut pretty bad by Ms. Gruber's attacker." Dr. Meyer said sadly.

"Oh my God!" Sara gasped, burying her face in Nick's chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Thank you" Nick whispered.

"One more thing, Mr. Stokes." 

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to name your daughter?"

**~~$~@~$~~**

**In places no one will find   
All your feelings so deep inside  
(forever was in your eyes)  
It was there that I realized   
That forever was in your eyes  
The moment I saw you cry**

**~~$~@~$~~**

"What?" Nick asked.

"Your daughter. Would you like to name her?" Dr. Meyer repeated.

Nick looked down at Sara, and then back to the doctor. "Yes."

"Do you have a name, or do you need a few minutes to discuss it?"

Nick looked back down at Sara as if asking for help. "We have one." Nick said.

"Well, I can write it down now on her chart" Dr. Meyer said, reaching for the clipboard that was hooked onto the end of the bed that the child was laying on.

"Brianna" Sara said, spelling it for the doctor. "Brianna Elizabeth Stokes."

**~~$~@~$~~**

**Baby. cry   
The moment that i saw you cry   
Oh no no   
I think I saw you cry   
The moment I saw you cry   
(fade out)  
I wanted to know you   
I wanted to know you  
I wanted to know you**

**~~$~@~$~~**

"Rest in peace, Brianna Elizabeth" Doctor Meyer said, laying a hand on the bed next to her body. "I will give you two a moment alone with her. When you're done, just come out to the nurses' station and sign these papers so we can release the body for burial. Again, I'm so sorry about your loss."

"Thank you, Dr. Meyer." Nick said, shaking his hand.

After Dr. Meyer left, Nick pulled a chair up to the bed, and sat down, pulling Sara onto his lap. He laced his fingers through hers and laid their joined hands in her lap. Nick laid his other hand on Brianna's bed. 

"Hey kiddo" Nick said softly. 

Sara choked back a sob, causing Nick to squeeze her hand slightly. 

"I know you haven't heard much from me, but I'm your daddy." Nick voice seemed calm to the naked ear, but Sara knew he was dying inside. 

"And this wonderful lady sitting with me is your mommy."

Sara lost it when she heard Nick's words. She covered her face with her hands and began sobbing. Nick rubbed her back gently and soothingly.

"Sara-"

"I can't do this Nick. She's not my baby. I'm not her mother."

"You were going to be" he said in a comforting voice.

"Nick-" Sara leaned down and laid her head on Nick's shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist. 

"I'm really gonna miss you kiddo." Nick said to Brianna. "But some day I'll see you again up in heaven. Save a spot for us, okay?"

Sara stood up, pulling Nick with her. They joined hands once more, and glanced down at the sheet-covered infant. "We love you" she whispered. She brought two fingers to her lips, kissed them, then reached down and placed them on the part of the sheet that covered the baby's head. 

Nick repeated her action then the two walked hand in hand out to the nurse's station. Nick signed the papers and filled out all the information about where the funeral would be, telling the nurse that he would make the plans later. 

This time it was Nick who drove home, and led Sara inside. The immediately went into their bedroom and cuddled up together on the bed, holding each other and whispering comforting and soothing words. 

Sara cried herself to sleep less than an hour after they arrived home. Nick watched her for a few minutes, realizing how much he loved her, and needed her in his life. He wanted to stay awake for her, but soon sleep consumed him as well. They slept for nearly eight hours, wrapped in the warmth of each others arms. 

**~~$~@~$~~**

**      TBC**

**~~$~@~$~~**

The song from the last chapter was "Only Hope" by Mandy Moore, and in this chapter I used "Cry", which was also by Mandy Moore. Both songs were used in the movie, A Walk to Remember. 

Sorry this chapter was short, but it was one of those loaded ones. Sorry for making everyone cry so much! I hope you still like it! Please hit that little button and let me know what you think!


	18. Chapter 18

Thanks again for all the reviews. That last chapter was extremely difficult to write, but your support made me feel a bit better about it. Thank you all!

**  ~~$~@~$~~**

**A Week Later**

**  ~~$~@~$~~**

Nick and Sara stood hand in hand underneath a large tent in the middle of the cemetery. They were surrounded by their close friends, but both of them felt like they were completely alone; lost in the woods. 

The past week had been hard for both of them, more so Nick than Sara, but each of them had their high points and their low points. Every morning Sara woke up to find Nick's side of the bed empty, and cold. She would find him sitting in the nursery they had decorated together. Sometimes he'd be sitting in the rocking chair, staring out the window with a stuffed animal clutched against his chest. Other times she'd find him curled up in a little ball on the small twin-sized bed that once belonged Catherine. 

Sara would go to him, lean down and kiss his forehead, telling him that she loves him, and then head back out into the kitchen to put on some coffee for the both of them. It was then that she would let her own tears roll down her cheeks. Every time she saw Nick in that state, her heart would break a little more. There was nothing she could do for him except to just be there. For him, that was enough. But for Sara, it wasn't. She had to find a way to help him. But she just couldn't. 

Nick often woke to the smell of the coffee brewing. He'd walk out to the kitchen where Sara stood, slumped over the counter. He'd wrap his arms around her waist and kiss the back of her neck softly before whispering. "I love you."

Nick had been given the whole week off, but Sara hadn't. She only worked a few nights, though, and never pulled a double. Grissom wouldn't allow her to. She was emotionally drained, and the whole team knew she hadn't slept since Monica's murder. 

Warrick would often time find Sara staring off into space, whether it be at her desk, in the break room, or even at a crime scene. He'd give her a small hug and then gently remind her that she needs to either concentrate on the case or take a leave of absence. He wasn't being mean, just looking out for his friend. 

She'd offer up a small smile, then immediately go back to doing some form of work without out another word about it. 

Warrick worried about her constantly. 

When Sara was at work Nick would work out funeral details. He somehow managed to get it all done. He only planned a funeral for Brianna, not for Monica. Her family took care of that, and didn't even know she was pregnant. Nick didn't think they needed to know. And he wasn't going to be the one to tell them. He hadn't even heard of any funeral arrangements for Monica. 

Grissom and Warrick finished up on Monica's case as best they could. They took five days to try and figure out what happened, but could find nothing after going over all the evidence time and time again. There was nothing. 

So here they stood; watching blankly as the tiny wooden casket was being lowered into the soggy ground. Catherine, Warrick, Grissom, Greg, and Brass stood a few feet behind Nick and Sara. Catherine had tears in her eyes and desperately tried to hide them and stay strong for her friends, but she was failing miserably. Warrick and Grissom held each of her hands tightly, assuring her that they were all feeling the same pain. 

After the priest said a few words, Nick was handed the shovel. He slowly released Sara's hand, and dug into the pile of dirt, lightly covering the tiny casket. A single tear slid down his cheek as he laid the shovel down on the ground. He immediately reached for Sara's hand again, and held it tightly.

After the ceremony, Greg, Grissom, and Brass each gave Nick and Sara a small hug, telling them how sorry they were, and if there was anything they needed, anyone of the night shift would be there to help. 

Warrick pulled Sara into his arms like so many other times before. She held onto him for a few moments before pulling away and looking up into his sparkling green eyes. He leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. 

"I don't know what to do" she whispered.

"Just be there for him. That's all you can do."

Sara offered up a small smile before turning and heading back to where Nick and Catherine were standing by Nick's Tahoe. The two women embraced each other and said their good-byes. 

Nick and Sara watched Warrick and Catherine drive off together. They stood next to the Tahoe for a few minutes, looking out over the cemetery, watching as the last of the dirt covered the casket. 

"You wanna go home?" Sara asked quietly.

"What's the point?" he asked abruptly.

Sara was taken aback. "What?"

Nick shook his head. "I'm going for a walk. You can take the Tahoe and do whatever you want. I'll be home later." He started walking away from her and towards the exit of the cemetery. 

"Nick!" Sara shouted beginning to jog after him. Her heels were making it a bit difficult. "Nick!" she shouted again.

This time he stopped, but didn't turn around. "Sara please? I just need to be alone for a little bit."

"Why? Nick, what's going on?" Sara asked, placing a hand on his shoulder, hoping he'd turn around to face her.

Nick spun around, letting Sara's arm hand from his shoulder. "I said I want to be alone! What don't you understand about that?" 

There was a burning fire in his eyes that Sara had never seen before in her few years of knowing him. She took two steps back quickly and almost tripped over her own feet. Her jaw dropped to the ground and she could feel the tears burning her eyes. "I-I'm sorry" She took another step away from him. "Nick. I'm sorry." 

And with that, she turned and headed back towards the Tahoe. She walked slowly enough that Nick would be able to catch up to her even if he were taking baby steps, but he never followed. 

And she never looked back. 

Sara got in the car, and started the engine with only slight hesitation. The cemetery was a good fifteen miles or so away from Nick's house and she didn't like the idea of leaving him all the way out here by himself. But then she realized that he's a big boy and knows how to find his own way home. If he wanted time alone, time alone is what he was going to get. 

She drove out the exit of the cemetery and past Nick who was leaning against the front gate, staring off into space. She gave him one last glance before turning the corner and heading back towards home.

**Stuck here, in the middle of nowhere  
With a head ache, and a heavy heart  
Well nothing was going quite right here  
And I'm tired, I can't play no part**

Sara drove as fast as she could. At first she had planned on going home, but that was Nick's house. Without him there, it really wouldn't feel right. Then she thought about going into work to catch up on some paper work, but once Warrick or Greg saw her there, they'd immediately send her home. There was one more option she could think of: go back to her apartment. There was always a little more packing she could do. 

She wiped the remaining tears away from her face and decided there was only one place she needed to be right now. There was only one person who could help her, and so that's where she headed.

**Oh come on, come on  
Oh what a state I'm in  
Oh come on, come on  
Why won't it just sink in?**

Nick walked back into the cemetery and slowly found his way back to the spot where his tiny daughter was buried. The ground was still wet from rain the previous night so he didn't bother sitting down. He stared down at the tiny patch of dirt. There wasn't a head stone yet because he just hadn't been able to bring himself to buy one. 

"I didn't mean to yell at her" he said quietly. "I just needed to be alone."

Nick let out a sarcastic laugh. "What am I saying? The last thing I need right now is to be alone. She knows it. I know it. I just hate looking into her eyes and only finding pity. Is that why she's with me? Out of pity?"

He sighed and kicked at the ground. "Dammit! Why do I always mess everything up? I love her so much. I really do. I'm just so lost, Brianna. I never thought I'd miss you this much. Never in a million years did I think I'd ever feel pain like this. But now Sara-" 

He began pacing back and forth in front of the grave and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Do you think she'll come back to me? Do you think she'll still marry me?"

**Help is just around the corner, for us**

"Yes"

Nick froze when he heard her voice. He slowly turned around, hoping he wasn't hearing things. 

He knew she'd been crying. He could tell right away. The wind was making her hair whip all around her face. Her long black skirt was dancing wildly. She had told him once that it was the reason she hated wearing skirts. Their always going places you don't want them to go. When she had told him this, they both started laughing hard.

Having a sense of humor was not the only thing they had in common.

"Sara" he breathed.

"I will always come back to you. And you just try and stop me from marrying you."

**Oh my head won't stop aching  
And I'm sat here, licking my wounds  
I'm shattered  
But it really doesn't matter  
'Cause my rescue is going to be here soon**

"Sara, I am so sorry" Nick said closing the distance between them. 

"No, I shouldn't have talked back to you. Whatever you need; whether it is space or just a glass of water when you wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, I will give it to you. Nick. I am here for you. We're in this together. I don't care if Brianna was biologically mine or not, she was a part of you, and you are all of me."

Nick could feel a few tears roll down his cheeks. For the first time in a long time they weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of love. They were tears of joy. And they were tears of hope.

From that moment on, he knew he was going to make it through this. He knew that having Sara by his side was going to get him through anything.

**Oh come on, come on  
What a state, I'm in  
Oh come on, come on  
Why won't it just sink in?**

Nick wrapped his arms around Sara and pulled her body against his. "I love you so much." He tangled his fingers in her hair and kissed the top of her head. 

Sara pulled back, and kissed him briefly on the lips. "Are you ready to go home?" 

"As long as you're with me" he answered, giving her a small smile.

"Always."****

**Help is just around the corner, for us  
Help is just around the corner, for us  
Help is just around the corner, for us**

**~~$~@~$~~**

**      TBC**

**~~$~@~$~~**

Okay I think the sadness is about over, so you can put away your box of Kleenex. That is, of course, unless you're just a big sap like me and you even cry at the happy stuff. :-P 

Hit that little button and let me know what you think, please!


	19. Chapter 19

Thanks so much for all the reviews! Your support means a lot to me. 

By the way, I own nothing.

**~~$~@~$~~**

Sara sat at the kitchen table, holding a steamy cup of coffee between her hands. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she never heard Nick approach her.  "Sara?" He said with worry in his voice as he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah?" She asked staring up into his deep brown eyes.

"Are you okay?" 

She glanced back down into her cup of coffee. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be? You're the one who just buried your child less than a week ago, I should be asking you how you're feeling."

"Sara-"

"Nick I'm fine." Her voice was short and irritated.

 Nick knew he shouldn't press the subject, but he did anyway. "Talk to me."

"I really don't have anything to say."

"Yes you do."

Sara stood up suddenly and hurried over to the sink where she dumped the rest of her coffee, cleaned her cup, and put it away. She sighed deeply, as she stood with her back to Nick. She did have something to say, but she didn't want to hurt him. Hurting Nick was the last thing she wanted to do. 

He came over to her, and rested his hands on her hips. "Sara please tell me" he whispered in her ear. His hot breath tickling her skin. 

"I don't think we should get married," she blurted out, hanging her head in defeat, not wanting to hear his response.

He was quiet; didn't move. Did she say what he thinks she said?

Sara turned around, Nick's hands staying firmly at her hips. "Nick-"

"Why?" He blinked a few times.

"It's too soon" she explained, resting her hands on top of his. "I don't think we're ready."

"Yes we are. I've never been more ready for anything in my life. I love you Sara. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I thought you felt the same way."

"I do, but-"

"No, Sara!" He dropped his hands from her hips and took a few steps backwards.

"Nick, just listen to me."

"I knew this was going to happen. You _were just with me out of pity. You were only with me to help with the baby. Weren't you?_

Sara's jaw dropped. "How can you say that?"

"It's true, isn't it?"

"No! Nick, no!"

Nick slumped down on the couch, and held his head in his hands. Sara slowly made her way over to him, and sat down, not touching him. She was sure that at any moment he could snap, and she was so afraid of what he would do; not to her, no he would never hurt her, but to himself. She was afraid of what he would do to himself.

"Nick, can you please just listen to me"

"Do you love me?" He asked, not looking up at her.

"More than anything."

"I don't understand."

"That's because you haven't given me a chance to explain" Sara reached for his hand, and held it between both of hers.

Nick slowly looked over at her, tears threatening to spill down his cheeks. "I'm sorry."

"Honey, you have nothing to be sorry about. I just want you to hear me out."

He nodded, and relaxed, leaning back against the couch.

"I don't think it's a good time for us to get married. I just this with everything that's going on, it would just be better to wait a few months. We need to get settled first. We need to deal with Brianna and Monica's deaths. Please, Nick. Please understand me."

Nick closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. When he opened his eyes and looked back over at Sara, she had tears in her eyes as well. Nick wrapped his arms around her body and pulled her to him. Sara positioned herself so that she was straddling his lap.

Sara stared down into Nick's dark brown eyes. He smiled slightly. "Don't scare me like that. I thought you wanted to call it off all together."

"No. Never." Sara responded quickly.

She leaned down and pressed her lips against Nick's, kissing him softly.

Nick pulled away after a few passionate moments, and buried his face in Sara's chest. She held him close to her, running her fingers through his hair and down his back. 

"Sara?" Nick leaned back and looked up at the woman in his arms.

"Yeah, Nick."

"I love you."

"I love you too"

**~~$~@~$~~**

"Who called it in?" Catherine asked as she and Warrick met up with Brass in the alley behind the Garden Apartments. 

"She did." Brass answered as he flipped through his notepad.

"What? The victim called it in?" Warrick asked.

"Yep. She called 9-1-1, told them she was going to kill herself, and then hung up. She was true to her word." Brass led the two CSI's over to where David was giving the young woman one last look-over.

"GSW to the temple. That's all it took." David informed them.

"Then why are we even here?" Warrick asked. 

"War, you know how this goes." Catherine said, smiling.

"Yeah." He looked around. "This place must have bad luck or something. First Monica, now her. I would just like to say again that I am glad Sara didn't move in here when she got to Vegas."

"Yeah, I'll second that one." Catherine said, bending down to take pictures of the lifeless body on the ground in front of her. "Do we have any I.D on this one?"

Brass glanced back down at his note pad. "Yep. Bianca Miller. 23 years old. Lived alone on the sixth floor. Just a few doors down from Monica Gruber."

"Weird. Do you think these two incidences are related?" Warrick questioned.

"We'll find out." Catherine reached down and picked up the gun that was lying next to Bianca's body. She dropped the weapon into an evidence bag and marked the date, time, and other information on the outside of the bag. 

"Hey Cath" Brass called. 

"Yeah?" She stood up and walked over to where he was standing next to David and Warrick.

"You might want to read this. Warrick found it in her pocket." Brass handed Catherine a folded piece of paper.

"What is it?"

"Just read it, Cath" Warrick said, his expression solemn.

Catherine took the letter from Brass and carefully unfolded it. "We'll need to dust this for prints, too." 

"We know" Warrick agreed.

Catherine gazed down at the piece of paper in front of her, her breath catching in her throat. "Call Nick" she whispered, her voice quivering.

"Cath, I don't think-" Warrick began.

"I don't care. Just do it!"****

**~~$~@~$~~**

**      TBC**

**~~$~@~$~~**

Dun, dun, dun! If you review, I'll give you another chapter! Deal?


	20. Chapter 20

Again, thanks to everyone who reviewed! This chapter is especially dedicated to my Snickers who finally get to see Invisible Evidence! LoL! :-) 

**~~$~@~$~~**

"Let's watch a movie" Sara suggested, plopping down on the couch. She and Nick had decided to take a night off together and relax as much as possible. Yet neither of them could think of something to do.

"Which one?" Nick asked, sitting next to her, placing a bowl of popcorn and two beers on the table in front of the couch.

"You pick."

"No, you can."

Sara sighed. "Fine. Umm… How about Kate and Leopold?"

"Are you serious?" Nick cocked an eye brow.

She sighed again. "Umm… The Matrix?"

Nick shook his head. "This is ridiculous."

Before Sara could suggest another movie, the phone rang. "I'll get it" she said, reaching for the cordless phone that was lying on the table next to the popcorn. "Hello?"

"Hey Sara. It's Catherine."

Sara glanced over at Nick. "Hey Cath, what's up?"

"Is Nick there?" 

The smile that had been playing at Sara's lips, faded, and a look of concern took over. "Yeah. He's right here. Hang on." She handed Nick the phone. "Catherine wants to talk to you. She sounds serious."

Nick took the phone. "Hey Cath, are you okay?"

"Yeah, Nick, I'm fine. I need you to come down to CSI."

"Why?"

Catherine paused for a minute. "We have a case. Suicide. Twenty-three year old female. One GSW to the temple."

"Cath, I'm off tonight. Sara and I requested this night weeks ago. I don't understand why you need my help if you already know it was a suicide."

Sara perked up at the mention of a suicide and gave Nick a questioning look.

"Look, Nick. Just come down, please? I'll make sure you both get another night off together. I'm sorry for interrupting, but we really need you down here." She paused. "And you may need to bring Sara with you."

"Okay, Catherine. But you owe me. And I will bring Sara with me."

"Good. See you in a few" 

"Yeah, see ya." Nick hung up the phone and threw it back on the table. "Well, so much for a night to ourselves."

"What's going on?" Sara asked.

"I don't know. But I need to go down to CSI, and she told me I'd want to bring you with me. Do you mind?"

"No. No, of course not" she answered quickly. 

Nick smiled, and leaned in to brush his lips against hers. "Thank you."****

**~~$~@~$~~**

"Did you call him?" Warrick asked Catherine as he walked into the break room to get some coffee.

Catherine sighed. "Yeah. This is the last thing he needs right now."

"Well, I don't know Cath. Which is better; knowing or not knowing?" Warrick sat down at the table next to his friend and reached for her hand. "He'll get through this."

"I know. I'm just really worried."

"So am I. But Nick is strong. And if he needs help he has us. And he has Sara. She'd never let anything happen to him, and we both know that." He gave her hand a tiny squeeze before standing and heading out to find Grissom.

"Thanks War." 

"Anytime, Cath. Anytime."

Catherine leaned back in her chair and tried to think of how to inform Nick of the news. She didn't even want to imagine what he was going through right now. 

Before she had time to gather her thoughts, Nick and Sara walked hand in hand into the break room. "Cath?" Nick asked.

"Hey guys." She responded.

"Can you just tell us why we're here?" Nick asked impatiently.

"Okay. Why don't you guys take a seat? Do either of you want anything? Coffee?" Catherine stood up and walked over to the coffee pot, hoping to buy herself a little bit of time.

"Cath, just tell me what's going on." Nick said impatiently.

Catherine took a deep breath. "All right, Nick. The girl who killed herself lived a few doors down from Monica. Her name is Bianca Miller. Does that name sound familiar to you?"

Nick closed his eyes tightly. "She was Monica's Maid of Honor."

"Oh my God" Sara gasped. 

"Nicky, I'm sorry." Catherine apologized as she took her seat back at the table, handing them each a cup of coffee.

"I didn't really know her well at all. I only met her after I proposed to Monica."

The three remained silent for a short while until Sara spoke up. "What does this have to do with Nick, Catherine? Is there something that you're not telling us?"

Catherine reached inside an evidence envelope, and pulled out another plastic evidence bag that had a piece of paper with writing on one side of it. "We found this in her pocket." She slid it across the table to Nick. "It was addressed to you, Nick."

Nick carefully picked up the plastic bag, and began reading the letter aloud. 

**_Nick Stokes_**

**_c/o _****_Las Vegas_****_ Crime Lab_**

**_Dear Nick,_**

**_I have a great confession to make to you right now. I don't know how to start. I guess I should say that from the beginning I never had anything against you. But then you left my best friend at the altar so you could go chase that stuck up bitch partner of yours. Monica told me all about her. But that's not the point right now. I got over it. Monica was fine with not marrying you. After all, neither of you felt any love for the other, so why'd it matter?_**

**_Monica and I got in a fight about you. I insisted that she do something to get you back, or at least to just make your life a living Hell. She didn't want to. So I had to take matters into my own hands. _**

**_I killed her, Nicky. I killed her and her baby. I bet you're wondering how anyone could possibly do that and still live with themselves. Well, that's why I'm not here to see the look on your face right now. For a week after I did it, I couldn't stop crying. I regretted it. Monica was my best friend, but we just didn't see eye to eye on many things. You, being one of those many things. _**

**_I didn't mean for it to come to this. If she would have just decided to keep the baby and not let you have it, then this would have never happened. _**

**_You will find the knife I used to kill her in the top drawer of the dresser in my bedroom. Not that you need it, but it's there if you do. I take full credit for my crimes, and I have been punished. Dammed to Hell,_**

**_Bianca Miller_**

Neither Nick nor Sara said anything for almost ten minutes after he finished reading the letter. 

It was Catherine who spoke up first. "The case is closed, Nick. Both of them. There's nothing more we can do about it."

"I know" he whispered.

"I'll leave you two alone for a bit. I need to take the letter back to evidence, though. If you need me, just give me a call. Warrick, Grissom, and Greg are all here, too. If you need-"

"Thanks, Cath" Nick said cutting her off.

Catherine nodded, gathered the letter, and left the break room quietly.

Sara squeezed Nick's hand. "Nick?"

"There's nothing to say, Sara. We know what happened to Brianna. But there's nothing we can do about it. This letter isn't going to bring my baby back." Nick rambled.

"I know."

"Can we just go home? I want to go home, Sara." His voice was pleading, and Sara knew that going home would be the best thing for him right now.

"Yeah. Let's go." Sara stood up, and led Nick out of the building.

"Thank you, Sara."

Sara simply squeezed his hand, letting him know that she was always there for him, no matter what.

**~~$~@~$~~**

**      TBC**

**~~$~@~$~~**

Well, the end is drawing near. Yes, I will have the wedding in this story. If not, then there will be a sequel. 

Hit that button, and let me know what you think!

Your reviews = More chapters!! 


	21. Chapter 21

I know, I know. I'm horrible with updating. But hey! I am done with finals and juries and everything for the semester! Plus, I'm changing my major, slightly, so hopefully I will have more time. Wahoo! Okay, thanks everyone for the awesome reviews! And just in case you were starting to think that I owned anything related to CSI, I really don't. Well, I take that back. I own the first two seasons on DVD, I have all of the fourth season, so far, on tape, the soundtrack, and the computer game. So yeah, that's about it. Okay, the rambling is over now. On with the chapter!

**~~$~@~$~~**

The next few days were spent quietly at home. Neither Nick nor Sara left the house for more than an hour at a time. Sara went back to her apartment a few times to gather the last few boxes, and say good bye to her first three years in Vegas. That part of her life was over. The part where she was obsessed with her work, and her boss. The part where she'd sit by her police scanner for hours on end with a forensic journal on her lap. 

She was moving on now. Moving on to a man she loved with all of her being. Moving on to so much more than she had before. 

And she couldn't be happier. 

They didn't talk about Bianca's suicide, or how she killed Monica and Brianna. Nick was right, there was nothing they could do about it now, except for move on and live their lives. 

So that's what they were doing; living.

And loving.

A few weeks after Bianca's suicide, they sat down together and planned a date for their wedding.

Finally. 

"Who are you going to ask to be your Maid of Honor?" Nick queered as they sat together on the couch, relaxing a little before work.

Sara looked up from her magazine. "Well, I was thinking of Catherine. I mean I don't have any sisters or even female cousins or nieces. I wasn't very close to the girls I knew in school, and I definitely haven't kept in contact with them. Catherine and I don't always get along, but she's been a great friend, and I really look up to her."

Nick nodded.

"What? You don't think I should ask her?" She asked, worried.

He shook his head as a small smile crept to his lips. "No, I definitely think you should. I think she'd be honored to stand up for you."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. Definitely."

After a few more minutes of comfortable silence, Sara looked up from her magazine again and cleared her throat.

"What?" Nick asked, turning his attention from the television to his lovely fiancée.

"Who's your best man?" Sara asked.

Nick let out a small laugh, and then cleared his throat. "Well, I have four brothers I could have asked, my best friend, Chris, from school, and then there's Warrick and Greg."

Sara narrowed her eyes at him. "You asked Warrick didn't you?"

"Chris lives in China with his wife and kid, Greg already has the job of DJ at the reception, and I couldn't pick just one of my brothers. So, yeah, I picked Warrick."

Sara nodded. "I'm glad you picked him. If I could have a male Maid of Honor, he'd be it. Warrick really has become my best friend"

Nick feigned a hurt look. "Excuse me? Should I be jealous?"

A mischievous glint shimmered in Sara's eyes as she leaned forward and spoke in a low sultry voice. "Well, there was that one time when you were working a double. Warrick came over to bring a case file to me. He was wearing this royal blue, button up dress shit, and the top three buttons were unbuttoned…" her voice trailed off and she stared off into space as if remembering the event. Then she quickly looked back at Nick. "I just couldn't help myself." She leaned back and brought the magazine to her face, trying to hide her smile. "Oh by the way, the baby is due in about seven months"

"What!" Nick exclaimed pulling the magazine away from her.

"Nicky, I'm kidding" Sara defended.

Nick placed the magazine back in her lap, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't care. It's not funny."

"I'm sorry. It was a joke. I thought we were both on the same page there."

"We were. But you took it way too far. And I stopped laughing."

Sara scooted closer to him on the couch and wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Nick didn't respond.

She buried her face in his neck, and began planting soft kisses on his skin. "You're the only man I want to have a baby with."

When she pulled away, Sara could see that he was trying not to smile. She leaned in and began trailing light, feathery kisses along his jaw, and up to his lips. "Forgive me?" She asked innocently between kisses.

Nick gently pushed Sara away and laid her down on her back on the couch, pinning her body beneath his. Before she could protest, he ducked his head down and captured her lips with his. His hands quickly found hers, and he pinned them above her head as he continued his assault. 

When the need to breathe became too great to continue, he pulled back slightly, and rested his head on her shoulder. "Does that answer your question?" he asked, breathlessly.

"Uh huh" Sara responded, just as out of breath as Nick. 

"I suppose we should go get ready for work," Nick suggested.

"Yeah. I guess."

Nick looked down at her with a twinkle in his eye. "Don't tell me that Sara Sidle doesn't want to go to work"

"Oh, she does" Sara grinned. "There's just somewhere she'd much rather spend her evening"

"Ah, I see" Nick responded, playing along. He leaned down and kissed her briefly one more time before carefully climbing off of the couch.

"Shower's mine first!" Sara exclaimed rushing into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

Nick slumped back down on the couch with a satisfied smile on his face. "I love that woman" he whispered to himself.

**~~$~@~$~~**

"Hey Nick" Catherine greeted as the younger CSI walked into the break room with a big grin on his face. "Where's Sara?"

"Hey Cath, she just went to the locker room to put our stuff away."

Catherine slid a mug full of coffee across the table, and motioned for him to join her. "You're making her put your stuff away?"

Nick gladly took the beverage, and sat down at the table. "Nope. She offered."

"Gotcha"

"Do you know where Warrick is?" Nick wondered.

"Yeah, he was talking to Greg a few minutes ago about some DNA." Catherine answered.

"Thanks"

"Hey guys!" Sara chirped as she entered the break room and took the seat next to Nick.

"Hey Sara" Catherine greeted. "You seem to be in a good mood"

"I am. We're finally done with the wedding plans."

Catherine looked surprised. "The wedding isn't for another month, and you're already done?"

Both Nick and Sara nodded. 

"Well, there are just a few little details here and there that we need to work out, but we'll get those done easily." Sara added.

"Oh really?" Catherine asked, curiosity getting the better of her. 

Sara nodded glancing over at Nick who just cast her an encouraging look. "Yeah, actually, Cath, I have a favor to ask you."

"Anything I can do to help, I'll do" Catherine offered. 

"Would you consider standing up for me at the wedding, as my Maid of Honor?" Sara asked, somewhat shyly.

Catherine blinked a few times, not sure if she actually heard Sara correctly. They'd never really been best friends, but she did admire the passion Sara had for her work. And she knew that Sara loved Nick and would do absolutely anything just so he would have to suffer one ounce of pain. 

"If you don't want to-or you can't-I understand-" Sara sputtered.

Catherine shook her head side to side quickly and raised her hand to cut the younger woman off. "Sara, I'd be absolutely honored to stand up for you"

Shock registered on Sara's face, but was quickly replaced by a wide grin. "Really? Thank you so much!" 

Sara stood up from her chair and walked around to the other side of the table, and gave Catherine a quick hug. "Thank you"

"Sara, relax. We're friends now. Friends do this kind of thing"

"Yeah I know"

"What's with all the hugging?" Warrick asked as he entered the break room. "And where is mine?"

Sara stood up, and walked over to her friend, wrapping her arms around his torso. "Hey War" she greeted. 

"Hey man" Nick said standing up as well. "Can I ask you a favor?"

"Yeah, sure, what's up?"

"Well, we're getting married in a month now, and just about everything is all set up" Nick started.

"Okay, so what do you need me for?"

Sara smiled at the two men before returning to her seat at the table with Catherine to go over a few details, and leave Nick and Warrick to themselves.

"I was wondering if you'd be my Best Man" Nick said, getting straight to the point.

A smile began to tug at the corners of Warrick's mouth, and he pulled Nick into a hug. "Of course. I was wondering when you'd get around to asking"

Nick laughed. "Yeah well. At least now everything's all set. You'll just need to find out what Catherine is wearing so you two can match"

"Catherine? Why?"

Nick grinned. "Because she's Sara's Maid of Honor. So that means you two get to walk down the aisle together."

Warrick could feel the heat in his cheeks. "Oh really?"

Nick winked. "Yep."

Grissom chose that moment to come bumbling into the break room muttering about his latest insect experiment. When he saw his whole team sitting and waiting for him, and pulled two assignment slips out of a folder and handed one to Nick and one to Warrick, and then left, without a word.

"Looks like its time to work" Catherine pointed out with an amused smile pasted on her face.

"Yes, it is" the other three agreed in unison. 

**~~$~@~$~~**

**_      TBC_**

**~~$~@~$~~**

Well, I hope that wasn't too boring for you. I just wanted to get some stuff out of the way before the wedding! Yay! Okay, so let me know what you think by hitting that little button! Stay tuned!


	22. Chapter 22

Sheesh, I only got 6 reviews for that last chapter. Yeah, I know I kinda lost it, but hey, it's okay. Only two or so more chapters left to this one, and then I can start a whole other fic! Any ideas? Either e-mail me at BlueNred23@cs.com, or just let me know in the reviews that I know you all want to give me! ;-)

**~~$~@~$~~**

Sara stood in front of the full-length mirror, unable to believe she was actually here. She had been standing in front of this mirror for almost ten minutes now, admiring the simple ivory wedding gown she had chosen. The gown was semi-form fitting and fell down to her feet. There were roses embroidered around her waist that were barely visible. She went tanning a few days prior as a semi-bachelorette party. Catherine had surprised her one day after work and took her to a health and beauty spa that she had never even heard of before. 

Sara felt her spaghetti strap slightly slide off of her shoulder. So the dress was a little big, but she didn't feel the need to go in to get it altered just so the straps would stay up. She always hated tight clothing anyway. 

She glanced down at her newly manicured fingernails, but her gaze immediately fell upon the glistening diamond on her left hand. She moved her hand slightly to let the light dance off of the diamond. She couldn't help but smile as she imagined Nick waiting down at the end of the aisle for her. 

A knock at the door brought Sara out of her thoughts. 

"Come in" she called.

Catherine entered the room, wearing a royal blue gown that fell to her ankles. Sara let Catherine pick the dress out herself since she didn't have any bridesmaids to worry about. She had found the right dress in less than an hour, which didn't surprise Sara at all. It had taken her almost a week to find the proper wedding gown. Catherine had insisted upon going with her, but Sara declined every time; insisting that she could find a nice dress on her own. 

"You look beautiful, Sara" Catherine commented coming over to stand beside her in front of the mirror. 

"So do you"

After a few minutes of silence, Catherine spoke up again. "Don't be nervous"

Sara let out a nervous laugh. "How can I not be? What if I fall on my face? Or what if Nick regrets marrying me? What if-"

Catherine turned to her and put her hands on both of Sara's shoulders. "Sara, stop it!"

Sara gazed down into Catherine's piercing blue eyes. "I can't help it"

"Look, Sara. I've known Nicky a bit longer than you. I know when he's sure of himself and when he isn't. I've been here through a few of his girlfriends, and never before have I seen him so in love. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen him in love" she gently squeezed Sara's shoulders and turned her back towards the mirror. "You're far from making the biggest mistake of your life, Sara. Everyone gets nervous. But once you start that walk down the aisle and you see the love in his eyes, you'll realize that you love that man, and you'll realize that there's no where else in the world that either of you would rather be. Trust me. I've done this once already."

Sara smiled. "Thanks, Cath, for everything"

Catherine answered her with a smile. "Now, are you ready to do this?"

"Wait!" Sara exclaimed abruptly.

"What's wrong?" Catherine asked, worried.

"Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" Sara mumbled. 

Catherine smiled. "Your something old is that necklace there that your mother gave you when you were ten years old" she pointed to the silver cross lying against Sara's chest. "Something new is your wedding dress. Something borrowed is that tiara sitting on top of your head that Lindsey misses very much, and your something blue is your underwear, right?"

Sara smiled. "Yes, and you're positive you can't see it?"

Catherine laughed. "Sara, you could probably be wearing black underwear under that dress, and still, no one would be able to see it."

Sara breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay"

"Now, are you ready to go become Mrs. Nicholas Stokes?"

A wide grin spread across Sara's face, and she nodded. "Yes"

**~~$~@~$~~**

Nick gazed out upon the church. He felt déjà vu all over again. The only differences this time were that he was in a different church, and he was marrying the woman that he loved, and would love for the rest of their lives. 

Warrick had recorded over an hour of himself playing the piano as their wedding gift, and it was softly playing over the loud speaker. Nick would always wonder how this music was made by his best friend. When he first met Warrick, he never would have guessed that he could make such beautiful music. He had to admit, that he had made fun of him on several occasions for it as well. Nick, himself, was never a very musical person and couldn't learn how to play an instrument to save his life. Truth be told, he was just jealous. And he was sure that Warrick had picked up a few ladies simply by showing off his incredible talent.

"Hey, you doin' okay over there, man?" Warrick whispered to him.

"Yeah, I'm just nervous" Nick responded, smiling at his co-workers who were seated in the second pew, right behind his family.

"Don't be"

Nick glanced over at Sara's parents, brother and sister-in-law. Their ten year old, son, Jacob was sitting between them, pretending to read the program. Nick couldn't help but smile.

Nick felt Warrick's hand on his shoulder. "Well, I better be going so I can escort my lady down the aisle. Good luck, man. You'll do fine."

"Thanks" Nick smiled as he watched Warrick walk towards the back of the church.

Soon, he thought to himself. Soon I will be made the happiest man in the world.

**~~$~@~$~~**

Catherine and Sara stood together in the back of the church. Warrick and Grissom soon joined them, each giving the ladies and hug and kiss on the cheek.

Grissom gave Sara's arms a reassuring squeeze. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I am"

"Okay"

Warrick wrapped his arms around Sara. "Good luck, girl. Don't make me cry now"

Sara giggled. "I won't"

"Good" Warrick responded, planting a kiss on her forehead. "Let's do this" he instructed, taking Catherine's arms, and locking it with his. "Are you ready?" he asked her, smiling. 

She answered him with a grin. "As I'll ever be"

Catherine turned around and gave Sara one more reassuring smile before she and Warrick began walking slowly down the aisle. 

Sara could see the wide smile on Nick's face already. 

Grissom reached for her hand, and looped her arm through his. "Sara, I just wanted to say thank you"

"For what?" she asked. 

"Letting me give you away" he answered.

"Grissom, you know you've been more of a father to me than my own dad. I didn't even have to think twice before deciding to ask you"

"I know, but thank you. I may never get this chance, and it just means so much to me" Grissom said quietly, almost choking back a sob.

"Don't make me cry, Grissom. I'll ruin my make-up" Sara joked.

"Sorry." He gave her arm a squeeze.

Before they knew it Catherine and Warrick had reached the end of the aisle. Warrick leaned down and planted a chaste kiss on her lips before joining Nick. Catherine took her place across from them and they all faced the back of the church, where Grissom and Sara stood arm-in-arm. 

The whole congregation rose and also turned to face the pair. 

Sara could feel the butterflies in her stomach as the wedding march was played over the loud speaker, also performed by her dear friend, Warrick. 

Grissom and Sara walked slowly down the aisle. She couldn't wipe the wide grin off her face as she neared her husband-to-be. 

The walk down the aisle seemed to take forever, but when they finally reached the altar, Sara breathed a sigh of relief. At least she hadn't fallen yet. 

Grissom gave Sara a quick kiss on the cheek and took her hand and placed it in Nick's, smiling proudly at his four CSI's, before taking his seat next to Greg, who leaned over and whispered to him, "Good job, dad" Grissom couldn't help but smile. It was true. These people were his family. They were his children. The thought brought a tear to his eye.

Nick took both of Sara's hands in his, and leaned down to plant a kiss on her cheek. "I love you" he whispered.

"I love you, too"

Soon, Father Jim joined them at the altar and began the ceremony. 

The first half of the ceremony was a blur to both Nick and Sara, who were too absorbed in each other to care about what was going on around them. 

The time came for them to exchange their rings. Warrick handed them to the priest, who blessed each of them before handing Sara's to Nick.

Nick gently slid the wedding band on Sara's finger, right next to the engagement ring he had given her a few months prior. He gave her hand a squeeze when he was finished, and smiled.

Sara took Nick's ring from Father Jim, and gently slid it on Nick's finger, smiling up at him when she was finished.

"By the power vested in me by the state of Nevada, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You make kiss the bride" Father Jim instructed.

Nick grinned, and cupped the back of Sara's neck with his hand, pulling her towards him, their lips meeting in a fiery kiss. 

"It gives me great pleasure to introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Nicholas Stokes" Father Jim announced to the congregation, who immediately jumped to their feet and erupted with applause.

Nick and Sara joined hands, and took their first walk back down the aisle as a married couple, wide grins pasted on their faces.

**~~$~@~$~~**

**      TBC**

**~~$~@~$~~**

Well, there you have it! They're finally married! Hooray! Please review and let me know what you think!

Happy Holidays!


	23. Chapter 23

Guess what kids! One more chapter after this and then it's all over! Wow, it's taken me so long to write this story. Oh well. It was all so worth it! Thanks again for all the support!

**~~$~@~$~~**

**_What if I told you it was all meant to be,  
Would you believe me  
Would you agree  
It's almost that feeling that we met before  
So tell me that you don't think I'm crazy  
When I tell you love has come here and now_**

Nick led Sara down the hallway of the small motel that rested nearly twenty miles away from the hustle and bustle of the main strip of Las Vegas. He squeezed her hand when they reached their room at the end of the long hallway. Sliding the plastic card into the slot, Nick pushed the door open to reveal a regular sized room with one king-sized bed, and small love seat, and a desk and chair. 

Sara's only wish for their honeymoon was to have a simple hotel room. She didn't want a fancy honeymoon suite that would break their bank. Nick didn't mind. He'd give her anything. 

Nick glanced over at Sara, who wore the biggest grin that he'd ever seen. He pulled her into his arms, and kissed her softly. Once he pulled away, he caressed her cheek with his thumb and smiled. "Are you ready for this?"

"Yes," Sara beamed. 

"Good." Nick swiftly lifted Sara up in his arms, and carefully carried her into the room. He gently sat her down on the bed, and took his place next to her. 

They cuddled up together, both of them unable to wipe the grins off of their faces. 

"I love you so much," Nick whispered, kissing her hands.

As he moved onto her fingers; kissing each one softly, she whispered back "I love you, too."

Nick placed a kiss on the insides of both of her wrists, and then leaned in and captured her lips with his. 

"Nick," Sara breathed.

"Sara."

"Nick, make love to me," she pleaded.

Nick responded by kissing her hungrily, each exploring the mouth of the other. 

**_A moment like this  
Some people wait a lifetime  
For a moment like this  
Some people search forever  
For that one special kiss  
Oh I can't believe it's happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this._**

Several hours later, Sara and Nick lie sleeping in each other's arms, exhausted from their first night as a married couple. Outside a steady rain had begun to fall. A sickening clap of thunder stirred Sara from the most peaceful sleep she'd had in a long time. The last time it had stormed, she'd woken up in Nick's house, dressed in his clothes. That was right after he'd taken her home from the hospital. That was the first time they really kissed. 

That was when she knew everything was going to work out, and everything was going to be perfect for them. 

She had never planned on all of the trauma in between then and now. 

Last time it stormed, she had been scared. The sound of her own voice had made her scream. 

But this time was different.

Very different.

She was in a motel room, not Nick's house.

She wasn't wearing any clothes at all, except for the sheet that was pulled tightly over both of their bodies.

There was no hospital, no broken nose.

This time they were in bed, together, in each others arms, too busy loving each other to care about the world around them.

**_Everything changes but beauty remains  
Something so tender  
I can't explain  
Well I may be dreaming but till I awake  
Can we make this dream last forever  
And I'll cherish all the love we share_**

Sara felt Nick's arm tighten around her waist, and it made her smile. She gently caressed his cheek, and then ever-so-slightly brushed her fingers over his lips. 

Nick felt Sara's hand on his face, and slowly slid his own hand from her hip up her side, and down her arm, until he reached her hand. He held is softly, and planted a kiss on her palm. 

"Good morning," he whispered as his eyes fluttered open, revealing the darkest brown eyes Sara had ever seen. 

"Good morning," she replied, feeling the corners of her mouth curve up into a smile. 

 **_A moment like this  
Some people wait a lifetime  
For a moment like this  
Some people search forever  
For that one special kiss  
Oh I can't believe it's happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this._**

"I can't believe you're my wife," Nick stated as he and Sara sat together at the small table in their room, eating a breakfast that he had specially ordered for them. 

Sara was dressed only in the bed sheet, while Nick only wore a pair of silky, navy blue boxer shorts that Sara had given him a few weeks before. 

Sara popped another strawberry in her mouth, and smiled. "Me neither."

Nick placed his fork back on his plate of pancakes, and looked at Sara with a serious expression. "Sara, I want a family with you."

Sara smiled. "I know. So do I."

"I'll wait though," he continued. "Until you're ready." 

Sara smiled again. 

"There's nothing in the world that I want more than to have children with you, and to raise them together, and celebrate their birthdays, and send them to good schools, and help them with their homework."

"Can we buy a big house outside of the city?" Sara asked.

"Yes. With a big backyard for the kids, and the dog. I want a dog, Sara. A Golden Retriever. Or, we could just stop by the pound. They're always desperate for people to take those poor animals home, and love them. They're running out of room. And I want a big tree that we can hang a tire swing from for the kids." Nick babbled on. "And for us," he added.

"It sounds perfect," Sara commented. 

Nick looked up at her and noticed the tears that were slowly making their way to her chin. "Why are you crying?" he asked softly. 

"Because," Sara started with a sniff. 

Nick got up from his chair, and moved over to his wife, and knelt down on the floor beside her chair. "Because why?" He asked taking her hand in his. 

"Because it's so perfect. And because I love you. And I can't imagine my life without you. I never imagined that I'd be this happy. Never in my life. And now that I am, I can't believe it's true. I keep waiting for everything to disappear one day and wake up to find that it was all a dream."

Nick wiped the tears off of her cheeks, and smiled. "I'm here for good, sweetheart. No one is going to take me away from you."

**_Could this be the greatest love of all  
I wanna know that you will catch me when I fall (fall)  
So let me tell you this  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this_**

Nick took Sara in his arms, and held her tightly; placing light kisses in her hair. 

When Sara pulled away after a few moments, Nick smiled down at her, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. 

"I want a family, too, Nick. I want everything you want. I want us. I want this." She took his hand and held it to her heart. 

"We'll have that," Nick promised, kissing her forehead, before capturing her lips with his once more. 

"Promise?" Sara asked between kisses. 

"Mm-hm," Nick mumbled. 

**_Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
Some people search forever for that one special kiss  
Oh Oh I can't believe it's happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this_**

Their food had been forgotten as Nick and Sara climbed into bed once more, tasting, feeling, and memorized each part of the other's body. 

Nick watched silently as Sara slept in his arms. He watched the steady rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. And he watched her nose crinkle every so often, making him laugh quietly. He figured she must be having some very interesting dreams. 

He ran a finger across the soft skin of her cheek. "I love you so much, Sara. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure you're happy for the rest of our lives. I'll never let you go. I promise." He leaned in slightly, and kissed her cheek before laying his head down on the pillow, and shutting his eyes.

Soon both of them were asleep once again, wrapped up in each others arms. 

Happy.

**_Oh Oh like this  
Oh I can't believe its happening to me  
Some people wait a lifetime for a moment like this  
Oh like this_**

**~~$~@~$~~**

**     TBC**

**~~$~@~$~~**

One more chapter! And guess what! It's the epilogue. Yay! This song is "A Moment like This" by Kelly Clarkson. It's off her "Thankful" album which is so much better than I thought it would be. Thanks to my best friend, Mallory, for giving this CD to me! 

You know what to do now, hit that button and let me know what you think! 


	24. Chapter 24

I really can't believe that I'm finishing up this story right now. 24 chapters! Wow, I can't believe it! Yay! Thank you so much for all of your support! It's mean the world to me. 

Special thanks to the following people:

Melanie, I know you haven't even read this story at all, but hopefully you will someday. But I just wanted to say thank you everything you've done for me this semester. One day we'll take those trips to Vegas, Colorado, Gatlinburg, and Florida. One day… lol

Snickers over at yahoo, you guys are the best! If I never found our lovely group, I never would have started writing N/S fics. I think it was definitely one of the best things I've done in a while. Thank you for all of the continued support.

Also thanks to the following reviewers:

bloodredcherry, J gard, pdhtgal, Angelic Little Devil, ljae, MissyJane, PassionatePapist, Franny2, Sara Sidle Stokes, elise, Nat, nadia,  Emily Elizabeth, Pam, cRaZyPiXiE, candaceFABULOUS, CSI-Hornet, diamondlilymay, oOoOo, A Bloom, jd burns, Jezebel!, shadowcat, adpi24, spikes-storm, krisnina77,  oceanwave1, PeTiTeCaT, countryfreak, Nepeace, EmmyMik, LilRiver, csi-freak03, theparanoidone, Wolfey, katada, Dimitri, Stokes-CSI3, Martina McBride, KCC, DarthKel, ICABOT, Jane, Prillygirl, Jess, gilcathlover, Laurie Smith, and Pretty Perfect.

You all rock!!! :)

**  ~~$~@~$~~**

**364 Days Later**

**  ~~$~@~$~~**

Nick climbed into bed next to his extremely pregnant, and sleeping, wife. Sara was laying on her back, with a pillow propped under her feet, one under her head, and yet another clutched to her chest. The baby was due any day now. Actually, she was due the day before, and Sara had been pretty upset that she hadn't even had the slightest contraction yet. They weren't certain, but due to ultrasound pictures, they were pretty sure their first child was going to be a girl. 

At first Sara was afraid that she would have problems conceiving because of her endometriosis, but Nick was completely supportive, and he knew, no matter what, they were going to have a family. He'd even begun setting aside money every so often just in case Sara didn't get pregnant. That way they could adopt a child. He'd started saving up a month before they got married, and when he finally told Sara about it, a few months after their wedding, he'd already had close to five hundred dollars saved up. 

At first Sara was upset with him because he hadn't told her about it. But the anger only lasted a few minutes. When Nick told her how much he had saved up, she started to cry. She couldn't believe that he'd do something like that as a surprise for her. And she loved him even more for it.

But it was then that Sara told Nick she might be pregnant. 

Then it was Nick's turn to cry. 

They held each other, and cried together for nearly an hour after they heard the news. And once all the tears were gone, they made love for what seemed like the first time. Even though they had made love several times already, this time was different. They made love slower than usual, and it was as if it would be the last time they'd ever be together. They took the time to memorize each others bodies, and afterwards, fell asleep together, wrapped up in each other.

Sara had been on maternity leave for over three months now. Grissom wasn't happy at first, but when she'd threatened to quit, and go somewhere else, he'd reluctantly allowed her to leave. Nick wasn't sure if Grissom knew that Sara was in the midst of a high-risk pregnancy. He wasn't sure if he understood them at all. 

Then again, it could have just been the fact that Grissom wouldn't get to see one of his best friends every day anymore. 

For the first few weeks, Grissom would call Sara every so often to ask her opinion on certain cases, but he was always careful to never get her involved in the battered women cases. 

Nick wasn't happy that Grissom was involving Sara in these cases, because he knew it probably stressed her out, but soon he realized that this was Sara's life, and if she didn't have something to do, she'd go crazy anyways. 

Nick, being the over-protective husband that he is, made a deal with her; she could help Grissom with one case a week as long as she took care of herself and didn't get too involved.

A month later, Sara had stopped accepting Grissom's calls for help, but she didn't stop taking care of herself. In fact, she had started to let Nick take care of her for the first time. He'd draw her baths, make her dinner every night, and one time he even gave her a pedicure and manicure. 

And now here they were on their one-year anniversary, wanting more than anything in the world for their daughter to join them in the world. 

Nick leaned over and kissed Sara lightly on the cheek, and whispering, "Happy Anniversary, sweetheart. I love you."

Sara woke with a start and gasped. 

"I'm sorry, Sara. I didn't mean to wake you up," Nick apologized quickly.

"No. Nick. Baby. Now."

"What?" Nick asked in disbelief. 

"I think it's time," Sara whispered, looking to her husband for help.

"Are you sure?" Nick asked going over to the closet to grab the 'Baby Bag'. "I mean you haven't even had any contractions yet."

"Well, Nick, I just did. And I don't know how to explain it, but I think its time."

When Nick turned around, he found Sara sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling on her gym shoes. He couldn't help but laugh. 

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing."

Sara stood up and glared at him. "Nick, you don't laugh at pregnant women. It's against the rules."

"I'm sorry, honey, but you're wearing a sheet and gym shoes. And as I much as I love the outfit you've chosen, I just think you might want to put some clothes on."

Sara looked at herself in the full-length mirror and laughed. "I guess you're right, but can we hurry please. I think my water just broke."

"Already?" Nick exclaimed.

"Yes, Nick. I'm pretty sure I didn't pee in my sheet."

Again, Nick had a hard time trying not to laugh at his wife. He simply walked over to her, placed his hands on her shoulders, leaned in, and kissed her softly, before whispering, "We need to go, honey."

**_I get kissed by the sun each morning  
Put my feet on a hardwood floor  
I get to hear my children laughing  
Down the hall through the bedroom door  
Sometimes I sit on my front porch swing  
Just soaking up the day  
I think to myself, I think to myself  
this world is a beautiful place_**

"Come on Sara, you have to push!"  Dr. Jeremy Fox said, trying to encourage his patient. 

"Too. Tired." Sara leaned back on the bed, and tried to catch her breath. "I can't do it anymore, Nick," she said to her husband who was standing beside her bed, holding her hand tightly.

"Come on, baby, I know you can do this," Nick whispered kissing her hand. "And besides, if you give birth within the next three hours, she'll be born on our anniversary."

Sara smiled, but before she could say anything, another contraction hit her full force. "You know, for a second there, I was really hoping I wouldn't have to feel this!" She screamed.

"Come on, Sara, just a little further! I see her head!" Dr. Fox exclaimed.

Nick felt Sara grip his hand even tighter than before, as she gave their little girl one more push. 

"Well, well, well. Congratulations Sara and Nick. You now have a beautiful baby girl!" Dr. Fox exclaimed. "Daddy, would you like to cut the umbilical cord?" 

"I'd love to." Nick let go of Sara's hand and took the scissors from one of the nurses. He carefully cut the cord. When he was finished, he joined Sara again, and took her hand in his. 

Dr. Fox cleaned off the little girl, and wrapped her in a pale pink blanket. "May I present to you Baby Girl Stokes," he said handing the tiny bundle to a now teary-eyed Sara.

"Hey baby," Sara greeted her daughter with a wide grin. "Hey sweetheart. I'm you're mommy." Sara stared into her daughter's light brown eyes, and felt a love she'd never felt before. It was different than the love she felt for Nick, different than the love she felt for her work. It was a love that was more powerful than anything. "And this is your daddy," Sara whispered through her tears, looking up at Nick, who also had tears in his eyes.

"Hey there," Nick spoke softly, reaching for his little girl's fingers. She quickly grabbed onto his thumb, and held it tightly, causing Nick to laugh. "That's quite a grip you got there, kiddo."

Dr. Fox cleared his throat. He hated breaking up the family moments like these, but both Sara and her child needed to be checked out to make sure they were both healthy. "I need to take you to your private room, and have you cleaned up Sara. And this little girl needs to be weighed, and measured, and all that fun stuff. But I can promise she'll be back as soon as possible. Nick, you can wait in the waiting room until we're finished with your daughter," he explained.

"Okay," they replied in unison.

"Oh, one more thing," Dr. Fox continued as he looked through the chart. "Do you have a name for this little beauty?"

Nick and Sara looked at each and smiled. "Yes, we do," Nick answered. "Mackenzie. Mackenzie Nicole Stokes."

Dr. Fox smiled at the young family. "It's a beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

**_I have been blessed  
And I feel like I've found my way  
I thank God for all I've been given  
At the end of every day  
I have been blessed   
With so much more than I deserve  
To be here with the ones that love me   
To love them so much it hurts   
I have been blessed_**

A few hours later, Sara and Nick were lying, together, in her private hospital room. They were cuddled up together underneath the small blanket, both resting peacefully, smiles permanently glued to their faces. 

One of Sara's nurses entered the room quietly, and immediately felt her heart warm at the site of the young couple holding each other before her. She wheeled the portable crib that held their sleeping newborn into the room, and over to the side of the bed. "I never thought I'd meet the perfect family," she said to herself. 

As soon as she situated the crib, the nurse stood over the bed, and quietly spoke Sara's name. "Mrs. Stokes? Sara, ma'am, I need to take your vitals."

"Hmm?" Sara mumbled. Her eyes fluttered open "Oh, hi, Betsy."

"I just need to take your vitals, Sara, and then I'll be out of your hair. I also brought this little girl with me," she moved out of the way so Sara could see her daughter. 

"Thank you," Sara smiled.

"Not a problem."

Betsy quickly drew Sara's blood, and checked her blood pressure. "If you need anything, just press the call button, okay?"

"Thank you, Betsy," Sara whispered.

"Good bye, Sara."

**_Across a crowded room,  
I know you know what I'm thinking   
By the way I look at you  
And when we're lying in the quiet and   
no words have to be said  
I think to myself, I think to myself  
This love is a beautiful gift_**

Sara carefully untangled herself from Nick's embrace, and lifted her daughter out of the crib. "Hey Mackenzie," Sara whispered.

"Sara" Nick spoke softly.

"Hey" she replied.

"Happy Anniversary," Nick smiled. 

"Happy Anniversary to you, too, Nick," Sara replied, leaning over and kissing her husband.

The sound of their daughter's soft cries broke them apart. "I guess she's hungry," Sara stated. 

"Maybe. Or maybe she's just jealous. Are you jealous, baby?" Nick asked his daughter. He leaned over and kissed her softly on the forehead. "Better?" he asked. 

Sara laughed at the exchange between father and daughter. She knew from this point on that they would be happy forever. She had the most perfect husband, and the most perfect daughter, and nothing in the world would make her happier. 

"I love you, Nick," Sara whispered through her tears. 

"I love you, too, honey. Both of you."

Sara leaned back into Nick's embrace, holding her daughter carefully. 

She knew at that moment that she was truly blessed.

**_When I, when I'm singing my kids to sleep  
When I feel you holding me   
I know_**

**~~$~@~$~~**

** THE END**

**~~$~@~$~~**

Wow, I really can't believe it's over. But thank you all so much for your support. I really couldn't have done it without you. 

This song was 'Blessed' by Martina McBride, which was a request from Martina McBride herself. lol You ask and you shall receive!

Please review and let me know what you think!

Thanks again for everything, guys and girls! 

****

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